Risk Factors that may Make these Populations Susceptible to Diseases
Multi-factorial risk factors are what give way for various diseases in South Africa and Bahamas. They can be categorically grouped into ecological, genetic and lifestyle risk factors. Much consideration has been concentrated on the first, namely, records of ecological chemicals or toxic substances as well as the explanation on the hereditary vulnerability to diseases (WHO, 2015). Lifestyle risk factors like unhealthy eating habits, deprived nourishment, infection and contamination of toxic substances has led to increased risks to diseases in both countries. In South Africa, the exposure to pests such as Schist soma is a major risk factor for bladder tumor and the risk can be heightened by contact to mutagenic elements.
The risk factors in the Bahamas that drive the most deaths and disability included high body-mass index caused by poor lifestyles and eating habits, increased blood pressure dietary risks, alcohol use, tobacco, unsafe sex, malnutrition, and others. Most of these risk factors are associated with poor lifestyles and eating habits. On the other hand, 210 people die from heart diseases in South Africa today (WHO, 2015). The main risk factors to these cardiovascular diseases include increased blood pressure (hypertension), smoking, alcohol, road traffic injuries, deprived malnutrition, obesity and lack of engaging in physical activities. Hypertension is the biggest risk factor. One in three adults in South Africa has hypertension. Wrong eating habits, obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and excessive drinking worsen the situation. Alcohol is associated with road traffic injuries (Dieleman et al., 2016). Comparably, sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits are the major cause of cardiovascular diseases in both countries.
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Outbreaks and Crises Associated with the Identified Countries
The recent disease crisis in South Africa according to WHO was the discovery of listeriosis on May 2, 2016 (Dieleman et al., 2016). On May 12, 2010, Rift Valley fever was discovered (WHO, 2015). In October 2008, a new virus from the Arenaviridae family was discovered. Outbreaks of cholera were realized in February 2004 in South Africa and the neighboring region. In April and May, a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was discovered in most regions of South Africa. A cholera outbreak was declared in October 2000 in the country, which extended to 2001 (Dieleman et al., 2016).
The Bahamas also reported a number of outbreaks and crises in recent years. In 2004, there were 711 cases of gastroenteritis in the Bahamas. This outbreak was associated with Rota Virus. The previous year 2003 had also recorded a number of diseases outbreak. 15 cases of skin rashes were noted in March, the same year (Dieleman et al., 2016). Cases of respiratory outbreak totaling to 147 were discovered in April, particularly in the region of South Andros. Skin Rash was discovered in May among 54 people in Grand Cay (WHO, 2015). In June and December, Conch Poisoning was reported in 224 cases in New Providence region. Conjunctivitis was prevalent in the entire country in the whole year, with above 6000 cases being reported.
Burden of Disease
The burden of disease can be described as the effect of a health problem after examination in terms of the financial budget, mortality or death rate, morbidity, or more indicators. In most cases, it is quantified through examining aspects like quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) or disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The disease burden in South Africa for the period of 2007 to 2016 highlighted the four leading causes of deaths in the country, as well as mortality projections. Most of the deaths in South Africa are because of tuberculosis and HIV-pseudonyms. A projection of about 3 million deaths that occurred during this period were because of AIDS (Dieleman et al., 2016). The average life expectancy rose by an average of 8 years since 2010, based on the use of antiretrovirals (ARVs). Female life expectancy was reported to be more than the males life expectancy, with females having 65 - 70 years of life expectancy, while men having 60 years (WHO, 2015). In South Africa, the four diseases heightening deaths are HIV/AIDS and TB, non-communicable illnesses, injuries as well as other Type One Conditions like nutritional challenges. All cancers caused about 9 percent of the deaths in 2015. There was an increased incidence of esophageal cancer among the Xhosa-speaking individuals in the region in the Eastern Cape. The shifts in child death rates indicated that under 5 years and infant mortality rates heightened to a peak in 2007, and eventually went down until 2015.
On the other hand, according to a computation done between 1990 and 2016, the diseases that mostly cause death are ischemic heart disease, stroke, hypertensive heart disease, HIV/AIDS, interpersonal violence, lower respiratory infections, chronic kidney diseases, Alzheimer's disease, and prostate cancer. Chronic kidney disease and prostate cancer have recorded a higher percentage change from 2007 to 2016 in terms of causing death at 42.7 and 40.7 respectively (WHO, 2015). Comparing to South Africa, cancer is causing most deaths in the Bahamas but not to the extent, it is doing in South Africa. HIV/AIDS, interpersonal violence, and ischemic heart disease are causing the most premature deaths.
Population Mortality Rates
Mortality rate is normally projected in elements of diseases per one thousand individuals yearly. Therefore, a mortality rate of 11 (out of 1,000) in a population of 1,000 would denote 11 deaths yearly in the whole populace, or 0.11% of the entire population (Dieleman et al., 2016). The overall mortality in South Africa is nine in 1000 as of 2016. The mortality rate under 5 years in South Africa was 43.30 in 2016. The figure reached a maximum value of 125.50 in 1974 in the past 44 years WHO, 2015). Mortality rates from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer between people of age 30 and 70 percent was at 30 in 2000, 29 in 2005, 27 in 2010 and 25 in 2015 (WHO, 2015). The mortality rate for females was 289.03 as of 2015, with the maximum value being in 2007 at 470.05. The value for the males was 413.75 in 2015, with the maximum at 575.61 in 2007.
On the other hand, the mortality in Bahamas is 7.2 deaths as of 2016. The maternal mortality rate is 80 deaths as of 2015 (Dieleman et al., 2016). Mortality from CVD, cancer, CRD between ages 30 and 79 is 17 percent as of 2015. AIDS is estimated to cause deaths of about 500 per year. The death occurring by injury is about 8.9 percent every year (WHO, 2015). The number of infants is at 48.
To address these issues, the 2013 World Health Report of Research for Universal Health Coverage suggested that, every nation should determine its own priority when it comes to problems of health, decide what services are needed to address these problems, and scrutinize how provision of adequate services can be provided. This is because most of these problems need financial muscle, which differ from one country to another.
References
Dieleman, J. L., Templin, T., Sadat, N., Reidy, P., Chapin, A., Foreman, K., & Kurowski, C. (2016). National spending on health by source for 184 countries between 2013 and 2040. The Lancet , 387 (10037), 2521-2535.
World Health Organization. (2015). World health statistics 2015 . World Health Organization.
World Health Organization. (2013). The world health report 2013: Research for Universal Health Coverage . World Health Organization.
