The World Health Organization defines “health education as any combination of learning experiences designed to help individuals and communities improve their health, by increasing their knowledge or influencing their attitudes” (WHO, 2012, p. 2).
The best weapon in preventing a disease outbreak is community action and education. Articles are published to provide valuable information regarding past and present disease trends. The following paper summarizes three articles regarding the prevalence of Lyme disease, its effect on the people, and the community health response.
Lyme Disease & History
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection carried by black-legged ticks, commonly referred to as deer ticks. At any stage in their lives the deer ticks will latch onto and feed from a human and therefore transmit the disease to their host. Some symptoms are often unnoticed or ignored, but if diagnosed early it is easily cured. Lyme disease was first noted as a “dermatologic lesion in humans in the late 1800s in a Scandinavian medical journal. The Lyme arthritis outbreak in Old Lyme, Connecticut that put Lyme disease on the cover of Time Magazine occurred in 1975. The first cases of canine Lyme were recognized in the 1980s” (Piesman, 2012, 30).
The Term Paper on Infectious Disease and Health Protection Agency
The guidance is divided into sections as follows: Section 1Introduces infection control and explains notification; Section 2deals with general infection control procedures; Section 3gives guidance on the management of outbreaks; Section 4describes specific infectious diseases; Section 5contact numbers and sources of information; Section 6contains additional detailed information and a table of ...
Community Effects
“More cases of Lyme disease are reported than any other vector-borne disease in the United States. There were 29,959 confirmed cases and 8509 probable cases of Lyme disease in the United States in 2009” (CDC, 2012, p. 1) Once Lyme disease was primarily diagnosed around the Mid-Atlantic and New England states; however, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is concerned, because it is now “endemic (prevalent) in the Northeast and much of the North Central United States including Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania” (Smith, 2011, p. 1).
Community Response
Research on Lyme disease has been initiated by local and state governments or provided for by funding from the U.S. Department of Public Health and Human Services (HHS).
The research includes aspects of the potential control of the spread of the disease including prevention, detection, treatment, and vaccine development. Even though a plethora of research exists, the community is slow to adopt many of the safe practices on a macro scale. Home owners are reluctant to spend personal income on tick abatement products even in highly endemic areas.
Conclusion
These articles relate to the growing concern for the endemic levels of the occurrence of Lyme disease and the community response. Although treatable the best course of action is to influence the attitudes of the community by developing a partnership between the community and public health initiatives. The CDC hopes through community health education and the adoption of preventative measures the prevalence of Lyme disease will be significantly reduced.
References
CDC. (2012).
It’s spring: Time to prevent Lyme disease. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/Features/LymeDisease/. Piesman, J. (2012).
Prevention of tick-borne diseases. Journal Of Environmental Health, 74(10), 30. Smith, P. (2011).
Lyme disease appears on the rise. Retrieved from The Seattle Times: Health Section: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2014752683_lyme14.html. World Health Organization. (2011).
Retrieved April 24, 2011, from Health Education: http://www.who.int/topics/health_education/en/. Content
The Essay on Tuberculosis: Infectious Disease And Health Care Facilities
What are some communicable diseases or threats currently affecting public and community health in your area? Pulmonary tuberculosis also referred to as (TB) is a contagious bacterial infection that generally affects the lungs; however TB can attack other organs in the body such as the brain, spine, and kidney. Tb can most often be treated however, if it is not properly treated, the disease can ...
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