Global health largely contributes to the security of American populations and indeed global security. Examining health in a global context is becoming increasingly significant owing to the rate at which globalization of the world and its economies, as well as international travel and commerce are growing (Healthy People 2020, 2014). In this respect, therefore, an emergence or re-emergence of a health threat such as an infectious disease in some part of the world becomes a major concern for all nations. As a result, the world’s largest economies have a role to play in the promotion of comprehensive, worldwide, real-time surveillance systems. This rapid identification and control of emerging health threats or infectious diseases serve to promote health abroad, protect the health of their populations, and prevent the international spread of the disease (Healthy People 2020, 2014). This paper seeks to identify the world’s pressing public health crisis today and what is being done to address and improve response to the crisis.
In the world today, there is a growing rate at which non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and injuries are causing deaths. According to Mayor (2016), “over 70% (40 million) of global deaths in 2015 were caused by non-communicable diseases.” The author notes that “the leading causes of these deaths were cardiovascular disease, cancers, and chronic respiratory diseases, but they also included stroke, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other dementias” (Mayor, 2016). However, most developing countries have a double burden in the prevention and control of infectious diseases as well as dealing with the health threats posed by non-communicable diseases and environmental health risks. Confronting these major health threats requires that the world community works in collaboration through the development of appropriate surveillance and response capacities. While the issue of non-communicable diseases is broad, this paper narrows down to dementia as one of the biggest global health crises in the world today.
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Dementia is a concern here due to the increasing rate of aging in the world’s population. Over the past century, there have been major improvements in healthcare around the world which implies that people are now living longer. However, this has resulted in an increase in dementia cases among the aging populations and it is projected that this rate will continue to increase. According to the Global Alzheimer’s and Dementia Action Alliance (GADAA), dementia is one of the biggest global health crises in our world today and should be recognized as such (Hughes, 2017).
There are five valid reasons as to why dementia must be recognized as a pressing public health crisis. Hughes (2017) argues that dementia would cost the world’s economy a whopping one trillion dollars in 2018 and this figure would rise to two trillion by 2030 if dementia was not addressed. To bring this figure into perspective, Hughes notes that this cost is greater than the gross domestic product of all but the 15 world’s richest economies. Furthermore, dementia-related costs are greater than the market value of Apple and Google which happen to be the world’s largest companies with market values of US$742 billion and US$368 billion respectively (Hughes, 2017). A fraction of this cost accounts for unpaid and formal care for people living with dementia with those delivered by women forming the majority.
In addition to dementia-related costs, the prevalence rates of dementia in the world make it a pressing public health crisis. Almost 50 million people in the world today are affected by dementia. It is said that in every three seconds, a new case of dementia occurs in the world (Hughes, 2017). Apparently, the most vulnerable are the aging populations in low to middle-income countries (LMICs). More particularly, 58% of the people living with dementia in the world live in low to middle-income countries. Worryingly, this number is projected to increase fivefold in developing countries and twofold in developed countries by 2050. This is worrying due to the fact that many countries have challenges in financing long-term care. Also, it is worrying that social changes in LMICs imply that the aging populations lack adequate care from family members hence the urgent need for social care to formal care.
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that people lack dementia awareness as a medical condition and not a part of life. Hughes argues that in LMICs, only one in ten persons receives a dementia diagnosis whereas, in developed countries, less than 50% receive the diagnosis. Additionally, globally, in every three people, two think there is only a little or no understanding of dementia in their respective countries. While this is the case, Hughes argues in his article that dementia causes frequent stigma and discrimination to victims and their families especially in countries where little is known of the condition. In fact, in some parts of the world, people living with dementia and their families face violence. Dementia also impacts employability in younger people as it makes them redundant and lowers their ability to find work owing to the lack of understanding and discrimination (Hughes, 2017). This state highlights the desperate need for accessibility to medical attention for purposes of diagnosis and help for people living with dementia.
Finally, the World Health Organization (WHO) cites dementia among the top ten causes of death for women worldwide. Women are more vulnerable given that they form a major part of the care support for their loved ones living with dementia hence face the greatest stigma (Hughes, 2017). In addition to a lack of a national dementia plan in many countries, women suffer the most in the struggle to the accessibility for diagnosis, care, and support services. This exposure and vulnerability increase their prevalence of the condition.
Governments are on the run to put in place risk reduction strategies and earlier diagnosis of dementia. These interventions are necessary for lowering the high cost of emergency as well as improving care and fostering the efficacy of social, community and other care services (Hughes, 2017). The Alzheimer Disease International (ADI) advocates for collaborative action to address dementia as one of the largest health epidemics of the 21st century (Alzheimer's Disease International, 2015). ADI also highlights the increased focus on healthier lifestyles and implementation of effective public health campaigns in mitigating this global health risk. The focus on lifestyle change emphasizes the control of tobacco use and education. Furthermore, improvements on the prevention, detection, and control of hypertension and diabetes are necessary interventions as what is good for the heart and body is also good for the brain. These interventions are important in the modification of the dementia risk for populations.
Analysis of Authors
Alzheimer’s Disease International is a global federation for Alzheimer associations around the world. Founded in 1984, ADI supports people living with dementia and their families by empowering Alzheimer associations with an aim to improve their quality of life. Healthy People 2020 is a U.S federal government’s prevention initiative for building a healthier nation. It is brings on board a group of organizations whose aim is to promote and implement the U.S’ Healthy People 2020 objectives. These include high quality lives free of injury, preventable diseases, disability and premature death as well as achievement of health equity, elimination of disparities, and improved health for all. On the other hand, Jeremy Hughes is the chairperson of the Global Alzheimer’s and Dementia Action Alliance (GADAA). GADAA is a network of international civil society organizations whose main focus is advocating for global action on dementia. GADAA works in collaboration with WHO and UN. And finally, Susan Mayor is a freelance medical journalist, editor, and communications trainer. She provides her services for pay by a wide range of medical-related organizations. She is also the managing director of Susan Mayor Limited, a company under which she provides her medical writing and communication services. The articles cited by these authors are thus credible sources whose information was reliably important for this paper.
References
Alzheimer's Disease International. (2015, April 16). Tackling dementia and non-communicable diseases together is featured at 30th conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International. Retrieved from https://www.alz.co.uk/media/150416
Healthy People 2020. (2014). Global health. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/global-health
Hughes, J. (2017, September 21). This is one of the biggest global health crises of the 21st Century. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/09/dementia-trillion-dollar-global-crisis/
Mayor, S. (2016). Non-communicable diseases now cause two thirds of deaths worldwide. British Medical Journal , 355 , i5456. doi:10.1136/bmj.i5456
