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Medical and Humanitarian Aids
Bangladesh is a densely populated country surrounded by India and the Bay of Bengal. Due to its geographical location it is prone to seasonal cyclones and catastrophic flooding. Most of the population in this country lives in rural areas that have very poor health care facilities. Most villages have high rates of malnutrition, with nearly 2 out of 3 people suffering from nutritional deficiencies. Less than one in ten children has access to proper medical care. Poor sanitation contributes to the spread of diseases in rural regions that are extremely isolated and excluded from basic medical facilities. Many rural areas in Bangladesh continue to experience unplanned and unregulated population growth with ongoing poverty and health complications where children die from preventable and treatable illnesses and adults suffer from unbearable chronic conditions.
Health care institutions that serve the poor in rural areas of the country, often lack adequate medicines and supplies to diagnose health conditions and provide life-saving treatments. These shortages occur due to economic limitations and political and administrative hindrances. To provide quality care to the poor patients, the health care institutions and health care professionals are constantly in need of medicines and medical assistance. Many philanthropic organizations have come forward today to work for the well being of the poor and the needy through their charity work. These philanthropic organizations exist to empower the deprived people in rural areas physically, economically and educationally. They are helping the poverty stricken people in villages with their projects on education, health; income generation and vocational training.
Tags: health care institutions, health care professionals, poor health care, proper health care, treatable illnessesNotes on AIDS and HIV
In 1981, scientists in the United States and France first recognized the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which was later discovered to be caused by a virus called the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV breaks down the body’s immunity to infections leading to AIDS. The virus can lie hidden in the body for up to 10 years without producing any obvious symptoms or before developing into the AIDS disease, and in the meantime the person can unknowingly infect others. Currently, an estimated 40 million people worldwide are HIV carriers, and three million a year are dying of AIDS.
HIV lives in white blood cells and is present in the sexual fluids of humans. It’s difficult to catch and is spread mostly through sexual intercourse, by needle or syringe sharing among intravenous drug users, in blood transfusions, and during pregnancy and birth (if the mother is infected). Using another person’s razor blade or having your body pierced or tattooed are also risky, but the HIV virus cannot be transmitted by shaking hands, kissing, cuddling, fondling, sneezing, cooking food, or sharing eating or drinking utensils. One cannot be infected by saliva, sweat, tears, urine, or feces; toilet seats, telephones, swimming pools, or mosquito bites do not cause AIDS. Ostracizing a known AIDS victim is not only immoral but also absurd.
Tags: human immunodeficiency virus, immunodeficiency virus hiv, intravenous drug users, latex condom, white blood cells