Public Health Concerns for Haiti Continues
The recent earthquake in Haiti has left the country in need of much international aid in the form of food, medical supplies, and helping hands. As this relief effort continues to pour in from countries around the world, public health researchers also continue to focus on providing basic public health care to the citizens of Haiti. Most of these research projects were begun before the earthquake struck Haiti. Now, after the tragedy, the researchers are returning to their original projects in order to provide relief to the general public in a sustainable way.
Iodine deficiency is one long-term chronic public health challenge that has troubled Haiti throughout its history. One in five Haitians die before reaching the age of 40 due to iodine deficiency. National surveys done by the World Food Programme show that 72% of children aged 6-12 in rural areas suffer from iodine deficiency. Almost 30,000 babies suffer of mental deficiencies because their mothers suffered from iodine deficiency during pregnancy.
With this influx of international aid, could it be safe for researchers to hope for a decrease in these numbers?
Iodine supplementation is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions in the world. Natural sources of iodine include sea life, such as kelp and certain seafood, as well as plants grown on iodine-rich soil. Iodized salt is fortified with iodine.
Unfortunately, public health interventions aimed at avoiding iodine deficiency in diets have not reached Haiti, mainly due to the lack of international attention prior to this natural disaster. Now, those passionate for Haiti’s recovery as well as growth look to solutions above and beyond providing short-term disaster relief to this country.
For more images of Haiti from Photoshare’s database, click here.
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Interstestd in Resources releated to Haiti Relief, check out the K4Health Haiti Relief Toolkit and follow the K4Health Blog for more about this resource.
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Lending a Helping Hand to the Island of Haiti
On January 12, 2010, after a devastating earthquake left Haiti and its people in shambles, the death toll continues to rise. Numbers range from 50,000 to 200,000 dead, as bodies continue to be recovered under rubble in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Countless humanitarian organizations, including the American Red Cross and Doctors without Borders, as well as politicians and public figures, rushed to provide much-needed aid to the poverty-stricken island. In addition to these efforts, media companies and photography groups here at home in America have also been lending a hand by publicizing and broadcasting countless images of the displaced people of Haiti - the dead bodies, crying children, homeless families - to an international audience.
We, at Photoshare.org, are continuing to compile a growing collection of images from Haiti before and after the earthquake that can be found here.
Other places to explore moving images and photos of Haiti and the aftermath of this disaster include:
The New York Times - click here.
The Boston Globe’s The Big Picture - click here.
The Associated Press Images - click here.
Doctors Without Borders - click here.
Please take the time to browse through these moving images of the unbelievable tragedy of this natural disaster, the worst earthquake in Haiti since almost 200 years ago.
Guinea Worm Eradication Campaign in Nigeria May Be Successful
After 20 years, the Carter Center is nearly ready to declare victory in its efforts towards eradicating guinea worm in Nigeria. The country, which was once the worst afflicted by the disease, has been guinea worm free for the past 12 months. Although it will take the World Health Organization another two years to officially declare the disease eradicated, this is nonetheless an important landmark in the battle against guinea worm disease.
A girl brings cloth water filters for guinea worm prevention back to her family in the village of Malieth, Sudan. The filters were provided by the Carter Center’s Guinea Worm Eradication Program. © 2005 Basil A. Safi, Courtesy of Photoshare
Guinea worm (dracunculiasis) is often called the “fiery serpent” and has existed since ancient times. It is contracted when an individual drinks stagnant water that is contaminated with microscopic water fleas that carry the infective larvae. Once inside the body, the larvae grow into long, thread-like worms that can reach up to three feet in length. The worm eventually creates blisters on the skin through which they eventually exit. They grow within the body for a year before exiting. It is important for infected individuals to avoid taking baths near drinking water because the worm will release hundreds of thousands of eggs. Water fleas can eat the larvae, and people who drink water from these sources can become infected, perpetuating the cycle of disease.
There is no vaccine or medical treatment to prevent guinea worm disease, and it is oftentimes hard to detect when a person has guinea worm until the worm begins to emerge from the body. The process of extraction is extremely painful and can leave infected individuals handicapped permanently. However, since humans are the Guine worm’s only host, the spread of the disease has the potential of being controlled by identifying cases and modifying human behavior. This has been the main focus of the Carter Center, and their efforts certainly appear to be paying off.
Currently, only four countries still have incidences of the worms: Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, and Sudan. The numbers have been reduced from three million, from when Carter first addressed the issue, to around 3,000 as of last month.
To read the New York Times article about this issue, please visit the website here.
For more information about the battle against Guinea Worm, please visit the Carter Center website here.
Fighting AIDS with Powerful Photos and Images
Photography, depicting real still-life images, has always played a significant role in moving the hearts and hands of people all around the world. Images are a very powerful medium for photographers to use to share their experiences and to mobilize the people who cannot directly experience such stories for themselves.
“As co-founder and CEO of a business that captures the important events of our time, I am acutely conscious of the fact that our photographers and filmmakers are not only documenting stories, but their work is inspiring change…Imagery has helped tell the story of the fight against AIDS, reducing the stigma associated with the disease, galvanizing individuals, corporations and governments to takeon the battle against the pandemic,” declared Joseph Klein, co-founder and CEO of Getty Images, Inc.
AIDS is a rampant health issue that continues to tear apart families, economies, health-care resources, and the lives of both young and old, despite its long history with the human race. Since its discovery in the early 1980s, AIDS has caused the death of more than 25 million people. Today, an estimated 40 million people are living with the disease, many without access to medical care.
Not only is increased awareness an important goal to strive for, but increased passion and drive to implement changes must also be pushed for with great urgency. Photographs provide a means by which to pursue and achieve this goal. As the adage tells, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” We have all experienced moments where our eyes fell upon an image and we were given a message that no words could have expressed more clearly. Photography can make that “push” we feel from AIDS ads and campaigns become a “shove”, propelling individuals who can do something to do something within their governments and NGOs to alleviate the pain of those affected by AIDS worldwide.
To see more photos of AIDS victims from the Photoshare gallery, click here.
World AIDS Day 2009!!!
View images and photos of AIDS awareness and AIDS related topics from the Photoshare gallery!
This year, World AIDS Day is scheduled for December 1, 2009. This day was created in an attempt to increase awareness about AIDS and to encourage individuals to urge their governments to continue to fight to meet their targets for AIDS, such as delivery of academic and medical aid to regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease burden is especially high.
The World AIDS Campaign is an international alliance of national, regional and international civil society groups fighting to aid their governments in abserving their AIDS commitments under the slogan “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise”. The campaign is headed by a group of global constituency-based networks and organized by a team of support staff based in Cape Town, South Africa and Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The World AIDS campaign has spread to all the world, including the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, North America, Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the MIddle East, and the Western Pacific.
AIDS is a global health issue that affects citizens of all nations, rich and poor, developed and developing, industrialized and non-industrialized. AIDS affects all kinds of people - women, men, men who have sex with men, people who use drugs, and people living with HIV and AIDS. A myriad of grassroots groups contribute to the effort to fight this epidemic, including labour groups, faith-based groups, and even members of the business sector. For more information, visit the World AIDS Campaign website!
To view the images above, click here.
Help join the fight against AIDS by joining the Facebook group: WorldAids Campaign!!
2009 Photoshare Photo Contest Closed!
The deadline for the 2009 Photoshare Photo Contest has now passed. Thanks to everyone who participated and submitted photographs. The winners for this year’s contest will be announced in January. Until then, check out our other contests and awards! If you missed this year’s deadline, visit the website to prepare for next year’s Photoshare Photo Contest!
To view a Youtube video of the 2007 Photoshare Photo Contest Winners, please click here.
A New Approach to Fighting World Hunger
World leaders attended a food summit in Rome on Monday in order to develop a new strategy to combat global hunger and assist poor countries in feeding themselves. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization had hoped for countries to commit to a $44 billion a year in agricultural aid as well as aiming to eradicate hunger by 2025. Instead, the declaration at the summit was a pledge to halve the number of hungry people by 2015 and there was no commitment to a specific figure for aid.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Pope Benedict XVI are among the speakers at t
he summit in what the U.N. hopes will be the start of a solid aid policy regarding food and hunger.
Part of the problem has been in the past method of providing “aid” to poor countries. Wealthy nations sending food assistance rather than technology or irrigation help is part of the issue. Additionally, these foods are usually purchased from farmers within wealthy nations. The FAO insists that the best way to help the poor “is to help the needy help themselves.”
Empowering the hungry to feed themselves is getting at the core of the problem of food security. The shift towards more aid in agriculture and development comes from a more focused effort of sustainability and cooperation between international groups. The goal, in the end, is to enable the hungry to help themselves so that will one day be able to support themselves.
Here is a link to the N.Y. times article on this issue: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/16/world/AP-EU-UN-FoodSummit.html?scp=2&sq=&st=nyt
The deadline for the 2009 Photoshare Photo Contest is fast-approaching!!!
Be sure to submit your photos by November 16 to be considered for the 2009 Photoshare Photo Contest!
Enter for a Chance to Win $1,000!
Do you have photos of programs in action and the people you serve? Pictures illustrating the realities of urban and rural life in developing countries? Snapshots from your personal travels, volunteer service, or work experience? You may have an award-winning photo and a chance to win cash and/or a SLR digital camera! Read more about the contest at: www.photoshare.org/contest/aboutcontest.php!
Contest Categories* - Best of Show (1st, 2nd, 3rd places) cash prizes selected from Best of Category Winners
Healthcare Providers (*Featured Category: HIFA2015 Photography Award)
Family Planning and Reproductive Health
HIV/AIDS
Malaria
Environment
Agricultural & Economic Development
Democracy & Governance
Humanitarian Assistance
Global Health (open subject)
Human Interest (open subject)
For more info, please visit: www.photoshare.org/contest/2009/2009photosharecontest.php!
Good luck to all contestants!!!
Environmental Risk in Developing Countries
The environment poses serious health risks for individuals living in the developing countries of the world, where 15 times more healthy life years are lost per capita than in developed countries. Modifiable environmental risk factors cause about one quarter of the global burden of disease and cause more than 2 million deaths every year!
According to the World Health Organization, the most widespread environment risk scheme include drinking-water/sanitation/hygiene and indoor air pollution from solid fuel use. Currently, local solutions make up the majority of responses to these environmental dangers as officials arrange for households to have access to and use safe drinking-water and improved sanitation facilities. They also take measures to implement household water treatment and increase the use of cleaner-burning stoves or cleaner modern fuels.
However, the officials most involved in the delivery of environmental health interventions rarely belong to the health sector. This is one of the key problems behind the approach in solving environmental health problems in developing countries - ambiguity about where leadership and responsibilities should lie.
Experts argue that economic development will eventually lead to more access to basic environmental health services and healthier living environments, with better infrastructure, higher incomes and greater purchasing power. However, the WHO’s model of a health system indicates that a combination of health and the environment will be necessary in resolving the many issues in environmental health, including incorporating environmental health in disease-specific and integrated health programmes, practicing environmental health in health-care facilities, and identifying and responding to emerging threats and opportunities for health.
The health sector is ideal in leading environmental health efforts in developing countries for various reasons. Reducing environmental risks can lead to improved health outcomes; additionally, because the costs needed to implement these changes are usually taken up by other sectors of the government, these interventions do not compete with other health-care interventions and give the health care sector a strong push to actively pursue changes in environmental health.
As public health officials in both developing and developed countries work to make breathrough changes in environmental health policies, small-scale efforts can play a large role in alleviating the burden of disease caused by environmental risk factors. Health-care facilities can prevent infectious by appropriately managing water, waste, hygiene, and ventilation. Overall, a successful program to monitor and permanently eliminate the global burden of disease caused by the environment will require a balance between both private and public efforts to create a healthier atmosphere.
Source: Rehfuess, E.A., Bruce, N., Bartram, J.K. (2009). More health for your buck: health sector functions to secure environmental health. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 87 (11): 805-884
See more Photoshare Images related to: Environmental Health
See more Photoshare Images related to: Public Health Initiatives
Photoshare in latest issue of GLOBAL HEALTH Magazine - Fall 2009
In the recent online issue of GLOBAL HEALTH Magazine - Fall 2009, Photoshare has been featured in the “Online Exclusives : Cool Escapes” section of the release. The article, titled “Communicating Your Mission Through Photography,” discusses photography tips for project staff working in-country in order to better capture and portray project activities. There is also info on taking notes for captions as well as informed conset of photo subjects.
If you would like to view the full article, please visit the website here: http://www.globalhealthmagazine.com/hot_escapes/cool_escapes1.
I’ll post the full article to the blog as well.
Best,
David