Introduction
The number of years that people are expected to live has been rising gradually since the dawn of the 20th century. This rise may be associated with the advancements made to guarantee infant survival, thanks to the discovery of preventive measures, which include vaccines and other interventions. Such immunizations have been acknowledged for fighting the spread of communicable diseases, which were previously claiming the lives of many people not only in my community, Miami, Florida, but also everywhere around the globe. This paper narrows down to three communicable diseases, namely, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. However, as revealed in this presentation, it is crucial to point out that the above diseases were a threat to my community prior to the establishment of Healthy People 2020 later in 2010 to address various fatal ailments.
Impact of the Three Communicable Illnesses on My Community
Hepatitis A, B, and C lie in the category of communicable ailments that are passed from one individual to another via means that range from blood or body fluid transfusion, inhaling an airborne pathogen, and experiencing a bite from a disease-carrying organism, for instance, an insect. Although cases of Hepatitis A in Miami are declining by day, it is alarming that chronic Hepatitis B and C are still being reported in the county. For instance, data from the county’s Monthly Infectious Disease Report indicate that one case of chronic Hepatitis B was reported in February 2016, while four patients presented with the same disease in February 2017 (Miami County Public Health, 2017).
Similarly, while 10 cases of chronic Hepatitis C were reported in February 2016, 12 patients were diagnosed with the same ailment in February 2017 (Miami County Public Health, 2017). The above findings, which show an increase in the number of reported cases for the two months, point to a situation where Miami community residents may be suffering health-wise and even financially in their effort to address the diseases. Acton (2013) presents the findings of a study that was carried out in Miami to examine the “Impact of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on all-cause and disease-specific mortality of patients on regular dialysis” (p. 43). The findings reveal the life-threatening situation that Anti-HCV-Positive Miami residents on dialysis are exposed to, namely, the heightened chances of developing liver complications (Acton, 2013). The disease has also been responsible for the many deaths of expectant mothers witnessed in my community.
Besides, Miami residents who suffer from Hepatitis B and C have reported cases of stigma and prejudice following their apparent deteriorated physical condition. People tend to stay away from Hepatitis B and C victims, especially those who demonstrate advanced psychosomatic and emotional problems that are associated with the diseases. Such patients live in an isolated world where no people are interested in interacting with them for fear of getting the disease. The situation translates into worsened health status unless those who are caught discriminating or stigmatizing the patients are brought to face the law.
In fact, in countries such as Australia, any form of prejudice based on an individual’s health condition is considered transgression, as stipulated in the government’s Disability Discrimination Act of 1992. Miami residents who suffer from sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV have suffered a great deal following the rising co-infection of the Hepatitis B virus (Gillis et al., 2013). This situation reveals the rate at which HIV-positive Miami people are dying following the increased attacks on their body cells with other equally life-threatening Hepatitis B germs. Overall, Hepatitis A, B, and C are a threat to my community, a situation that calls for thorough interventions to control the situation, which also endangers not only the lives of other US people but also the global population. Hence, the implementation of Healthy People 2020 goals in Miami will be a huge breakthrough in terms of people suffering from Hepatitis A, B, and C.
Identifying the Illnesses
Detecting the presence of Hepatitis A, B, and C in my community could not be possible without the tireless efforts by the relevant stakeholders to realize the agenda of Healthy People 2020. Attaining such outcomes was preceded by many fact-oriented scientific activities that targeted individuals from various communities, including Miami. In line with Healthy People 2020 vision, the communicable disease public health framework that forms part of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) work has been pivotal in carrying out ailment inspection at both the national, state and community level.
This plan was fruitful in the case of Miami, where new and re-emerging diseases such as Hepatitis A, B, and C were detected. Strategies were established to keep the situation in check, including closing all avenues that could lead to the entry of new infections, as witnessed in the early 1990s’ yellow fever that found its way into America through tourists (WHO, 2017). The above health agency has been involved in the “development of a “network of networks”, which links together existing local, regional, national and international networks of laboratories and medical centers into a super surveillance network” (WHO, 2017, para. 6). Hence, the body was able to establish the presence of the specified communicable diseases in my community and other parts of the US, a situation that made it possible to establish a timely course of action to fight the threat.
The Plan of Action to Contain the Diseases Based on Healthy People 2020
The key objective of Healthy People 2020 is to advocate for global collaboration among countries, local and community health facilities, and non-profit-making agencies in terms of fighting the multiplication of communicable ailments. This agenda depicts the globe as a mobile and an interconnected community where ignorance in addressing the spreading of any infectious disease at one point may turn out to be a worldwide disaster. In other words, efforts by the Healthy People 2020 campaign are founded on the awareness that the spread of ailments does not end at the geopolitical boundaries (Healthy People 2020, 2017).
To address the situation, the relevant health stakeholders partnered with the WHO to campaign for preventive strategies such as the appropriate uptake of immunizations, ensuring the accessibility of antibiotics in communities such as Miami, and the establishment of disease screening and inspection rules. According to Healthy People 2020 (2017), such preventive measures are expected to cut the cost of treating the actual diseases by almost USD10 billion worldwide. Besides, the mechanisms have the capacity to spare more than 33000 individuals who would have otherwise passed on after suffering from the above-discussed communicable diseases. Hence, Miami has a share of these efforts that have significantly boosted the lives of its residents.
Conclusion
Based on the expositions made in the paper, it is apparent that communicable diseases such as Hepatitis A, B, and C are a threat to the lives of many people. Hence, they should be addressed proactively, for instance, by ensuring their surveillance from all corners of the world in line with the Healthy People 2020 agenda of enhancing the wellbeing of the global population. Miami has had its portion of communicable diseases, especially persistent Hepatitis B and C, as earlier indicated in the 2016 and 2017 February findings. To fight the diseases, the paper has singled out the need for partnership among all stakeholders in terms of their timely reporting of any instance of communicable disease in all regions, including Miami.
References
Acton, A. (2013). Hepatitis C virus: New insights for the healthcare professional. Atlanta, GA: ScholarlyEditions.
Gillis, J., Cooper, C., Rourke, S., Rueda, S., O’Brien, K., Collins, E.,…Raboud, J. (2013). Impact of hepatitis B and C co-infection on health-related quality of life in HIV positive individuals. Quality of Life Research, 22(7), 1525-1535.
Healthy People 2020. (2017). Immunization and infectious diseases.
Miami County Public Health. (2017). Communicable disease monthly reports.
WHO. (2017). Global infectious disease surveillance.