The spread of diseases on poor countries Research Paper

The spread of diseases on poor countries - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that in some cases, diseases of poverty are considered to be obstacles to economic development that would curb poverty. In contrast to diseases of poverty are diseases of affluence. Affluence diseases are ailments or disabilities that are more prevalent in developed countries. Activists claim that virtually all diseases of poverty in underdeveloped countries are neglected. Many scholars argue that the pharmaceutical industry has not taken any substantial steps in investing and has failed to devote sufficient efforts in research for these diseases. It is estimated that nearly 14 million people die every year due to diseases of poverty. A large proportion of these diseases are curable with existing medicines with some actually been avoidable. Notably, most of these diseases in underdeveloped countries stems from poverty. These societies are plagued by poor nutrition, lack of access to the quality or proper sanitation, poor health education, and increased air poll ution. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 45% of the diseases in underdeveloped countries are associated with poverty. Alone, Gastroenteritis which is commonly associated with diarrhea is responsible for approximately 1.9 million deaths in young children every year with the majority of these been from low-income countries. Based on research, some of these diseases have been neglected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies these diseases as priorities for health actions considering the number of people infected. Tuberculosis is the leading diseases in causing death across the globe.