No more Illness Project

A disease or period of sickness affecting human body or minds of people in the community

Why Are We Fighting for No More Illness?

Project 9

Definition of Illness:

Illness refers to the sociocultural context within which disease in experienced. It is a presentation of a medical condition in a way that limits the functional capacity of an individual in the society. This is why Nordenfeld (1993) observed that to be ill is to be in pain, to be anxious, or to be disabled. The patient and his/her family label, classify, and explain the sickness episode such as a way that it can be personally and socially meaningful. Boorse (1975) advanced some clarifications on the character of illness.

An illness is a reasonably serious disease with incapacitating effects that make it undesirable. It is a condition that is obviously undesirable because of its negative attributes.
Illness requires treatment. It is a condition, which can be described as a medical problem in terms of impairment, defect, or disability and thus requires medical attention.
Illness is often a valid excuse for normally criticizable behavior. This implies that an ill person may not fulfill normative roles and expectations. Instead of criticizing an individual, people will affirm that he/she is incompetent due to illness. This implies there is a diminished moral accountability for the ill.
Determination of illness is bound by appropriate normative judgments or a sociocultural context. This implies that illness is a relative term as it could vary by culture, place, individual, and time. The cultural notion of illness determines the kind of response and how serious some medical conditions could be termed as mild, serious, or negligible.

For this reason, health intervention is essential to be maintained in individual and community level. Improving community well-being/wellness can be achieved through increased access to healthcare services, promoting healthy lifestyles, fostering social connections, creating safe and inclusive environments, and providing support for mental health services.

Types of Illness in our Communities:

Our rural impoverished communities who are living in poverty are at an increased risk of chronic disease, mental illness, and higher mortality. Some common diseases that affect poor communities include communicable, infectious, or caused by poor nutrition:

Communicable respiratory diseases: Poor water supply, sanitation, food, and air quality can contribute to the spread of communicable diseases. These diseases include pneumonia, which can kill many people along with HIV, diarrhea, allergies, colds and flu, typhoid and malaria. Diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria are also responsible for almost half of all child deaths globally.
Poor nutrition: Malnutrition is a leading cause of disease and death in our poor communities and is associated with about 56% of child deaths. Malnourished pregnant women are also more likely to have babies with low birth weight.
Neglected tropical diseases: These diseases affect over million people, mostly in marginalized communities. They include leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminths, and trachoma. These diseases can cause severe pain, lifelong disabilities, and significant productivity losses.

The Reasons & Root Causes of Illness in Our Communities:

Poverty in our communities contributed to increased chances of having many diseases due to these consequences:

Deprivation of shelter
Safe drinking water
Nutritious food
Sanitation
Lack of access to health service

Impacts of Illness on our communities:

Diseases are causing many negative impacts on our poor communities, including:

Economic Hardship: Diseases are causing the loss of a breadwinner, income-earning opportunities, and productive labor. People with diseases may be unable to attend school or work, which can further decrease income and educational development.
Disabilities and Deformities: Some diseases are causing severe disabilities and deformities, such as elephantiasis, dengue, and Guinea worm. These diseases have led to enormous productivity losses.
Increased Risk of Non-Communicable Diseases: Poverty increased the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in lower income area.
Cycle of poverty: Inadequate sanitation can be caused by poverty and can also worsen it

Possible Solutions & Recommendations:

Here are some of the recommended ways to prevent diseases in our communities:

Improve local health infrastructure by investing in health care initiatives in rural communities that contribute to reduce poverty and improve health.
Promote disease prevention programs aiming to limit the spread of communicable diseases and reduce the incidence of non-communicable diseases.
Promote healthier lifestyles, one person at a time.
Address basic needs such as food, shelter and education.
Provide community health education that focus on topics like injury prevention, nutrition, and diabetes management and offer vaccinations or free screenings at community events.
Educate communities by mobilizing and help them prevent the spread of major diseases.
Knock down barriers to health screenings and needed care.
Support studies for professionals related to disease prevention and treatment.
Create opportunities for people to improve their lives.