Introduction
My city is Miami, Florida, and its zip code is 33193. The information about the health condition of its population, provided services, and other related things can be found on several authoritative websites. For example, according to Florida Health (2016) and CDC (2015), the city faces several issues with communicable illnesses. The majority of attention is attracted to AIDS and HIV. This problem is currently critical for many cities, and Miami is not an exception.
Health organizations maintain monitoring activities and do their best not only to provide the representatives of the general public with preventive interventions but also to make them conscious of the issue and the way they can influence the situation. Professionals also discuss health problems related to parasites. They encourage the population to receive vaccinations and know more about the transition of the illness, as this information can save one’s life.
The website of Miami County Public Health (2016) informs the citizens of the clinics they can refer to and treatment they can receive. Except for that, it discusses environmental health and indicates the goals, achievement of which is likely to make a great step forward in the attempt to improve the situation and make Miami a healthy city.
Population Based Communicable Illnesses
Among all population-based communicable illnesses, HIV/AIDS are mainly discussed due to the recent epidemics. Among more than 45,000 people in the US, almost 5,500 adults and adolescents have the virus that leads to AIDS in 2013. Moreover, 1 in 6 individuals tends to have no idea of being infected, which allows HIV to communicate further. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allocate more than $45,000,000 to fund various activities that can prevent the transmission of AIDS.
The interventions are mainly focused on those communities that are affected the most. Both local public health department and CDC maintain monitoring and evaluation programs that provide an opportunity to be always aware of the situation (CDC, 2015). Moreover, these organizations focus on school health as young generations are the ones who form the future of the country and determine its health status. Teaching and influencing them means affecting the whole population of Miami.
While malaria used to be perceived as a problem peculiar for African children, it turned out to become a local health issue. It did not originate from the US, but travelers bring it in the country. Four years ago, 65 cases of malaria were treated only in Florida (Children’s Prize, 2013). In fact, this illness is not difficult to prevent and treat, but the number of infected people remains rather critical.
That is why Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County (2016) tends to provide the general public with various services, including immunizations, to improve people’s health. It allows the citizens to get medical consultations and prescribes medication that can prevent communicable illnesses. It should also be mentioned that mosquito population is monitored in Miami, which proves that this issues and its resolution are significant for the city (Miami County Public Health, 2016). It affected Florida in 2003 for the first time with less than ten cases, which shows that the situation altered negatively. All recent cases were proved to be related to travel and immigration, so the illness is not really peculiar for this state (Florida Health, 2016).
One more issue that affects Miami’s health status adversely is amebiasis. Being transmitted with food and drinks, it is mainly diagnosed in children. The illness is difficult to identify because it often goes without any symptoms even when spreading to brain or lungs. Just like malaria, amebiasis is rare in the US and is brought by travelers and immigrants in the majority of cases. People with HIV/AIDS are vulnerable to it, and living in conditions with poor sanitation increases risks (Green, 2014).
As this illness cannot be prevented with the help of the vaccination, Miami public health department implements programs aimed to reduce the risks of spreading diseases caused by the water contamination (Miami County Public Health, 2016). Professionals tend to believe that amebiasis is brought to the US by the travelers, but they emphasize also the fact that it can be communicated even through hand washing. Thus, it is critical for various populations to be aware of risks and ready to act.
Community and Communicable Illnesses
Mentioned illnesses are communicated among the population of Miami because the representatives of the general public fail to control their lives as they are supposed to. In order to alter this situation, healthcare organizations implement various programs that control the transmission of diseases and teach people how to save their lives. Currently, the community tends to split because some of its members are ill.
Those who have AIDS, amebiasis, or malaria try to keep it back to avoid problems. They are often afraid to be rejected by the rest of the society. Some do not want to consult a doctor because believe that the rumors can spread. In this way, people’s emotional condition is negatively affected, which can make their physical state worse and slow down the process of recovery. Moreover, the fact that these illnesses may lead to death cannot be ignored. Children, adolescent, and adults die because of the health issues that could be prevented if they took all required precautions. That is why healthcare organizations developed plans to alter the situation.
The initiatives are mainly based on healthy people 2020. They start with monitoring and assessment, which gives an opportunity to identify the most critical topic areas and diseases. Professionals gather the information provided by healthcare system and received with the help of interviews, questionnaires, etc. Its analysis points out the most critical aspects, attracting attention to them and motivating specialists to get involved.
HIV/AIDS are considered in the framework of healthy people 2020. It is claimed that its epidemics is the main crisis in the US. Thus, a national strategy to cope with this issue was developed. Its goals are rather generalized. The number of individuals with HIV/AIDS and related disparities should reduce while access to healthcare is expected to improve (Healthy People 2020, 2016). Taking into consideration more precise objectives, Miami County Public Health Department designed a plan of actions that can improve the situation. The emphasis is made on vaccination, health education, testing, and monitoring.
The research conducted for healthy people 2020 showed that the number of cases when individuals suffer from malaria increases each year. Being discussed in the framework of the global health, the program is focused on the reduction of this data (Healthy People 2020, 2016).
Miami department of public health made a step forward, taking into consideration this objective, and set a goal to minimalize the risk of infection connected with mosquitoes and ticks. It decided to improve the knowledge of the general public regarding the illness and to monitor the environmental condition. Such intervention plan is likely to bring positive changes not only to malaria statistics but also other diseases.
Amebiasis as a problem related to water and food is considered along with environmental health and food safety. Healthy people 2020 encourage to pay attention to the quality of products people eat and drink, emphasizing their possibility to affect citizens’ health greatly. It is stated that almost 25% of deaths are caused by environmental factors (Healthy People 2020, 2016). Water contamination is thoroughly discussed by Miami County Public Health. The organization is willing to take under control diseases that are communicated through the water. It develops operational permits, educates the public and allocates funds to resolve the issue. Not only groundwater but also swimming pools and spas are taken into consideration.
Conclusion
Healthcare organizations are highly concerned about spreading of the communicable illnesses. They constantly monitor and assess health situation in the country to be sure that the population can avoid such problems. At the national level, people’s health is discussed by healthy people 2020. A range of various problems is identified in it as well as resolution goals and objectives. City public health departments develop plans of action based on the received information and implement them locally.
Miami County Public Health pays much attention to various problems and states what should be done to prevent and control different illnesses including HIV/AIDS, amebiasis, and malaria. These diseases affect the community, dividing it and increasing death rates. Still, Miami’s plans and goals are likely to alter the situation positively.
References
CDC. (2015). Florida – 2015 state health profile.
Children’s Prize. (2013). Malaria in Miami? Shifting from global to local health.
Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County. (2016). Immunizations.
Florida Health. (2016). Malaria.
Green, N. (2014). Amebiasis.
Healthy People 2020. (2016). 2020 topics & objectives. Web.
Miami County Public Health. (2016). Web.