Research Priorities For The Environment, Agriculture And Infectious Diseases Of Poverty: Technical Report Of The Tdr Thematic Reference Group On ... Of Poverty (who Technical Report Series)
by World Health Organization /
2013 / English / PDF
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This report reviews the connections between environmental change,
modern agricultural practices and the occurrence of infectious
diseases—especially those of poverty—and proposes a methodology
that can be used to prioritize research on such diseases. A common
theme of this report is bidirectional causation, effectively
"trapping" complex, linked eco-social systems in stable states that
are resistant to intervention. For example, poverty is associated
with ill health, low education and often with poor diets, either
because of under-nutrition (and diarrhoea) or intakes that have
excessive calories but insufficient micronutrients. In either case,
poverty impairs health; and ill health impairs the escape from
poverty. Another example is provided by a recent abundant
agricultural harvest in India that has far exceeded storage
capacity. A substantial fraction of this harvest will be wasted due
to inadequate storage. Some grain that is badly stored will be
contaminated by aflatoxins and other fungi, which increases the
risk of cancer. This report presents the case for a more integrated
approach across sectors, research disciplines and diseases, taking
greater account of the increasingly widespread and systemic
influences on disease emergence and spread.
This report reviews the connections between environmental change,
modern agricultural practices and the occurrence of infectious
diseases—especially those of poverty—and proposes a methodology
that can be used to prioritize research on such diseases. A common
theme of this report is bidirectional causation, effectively
"trapping" complex, linked eco-social systems in stable states that
are resistant to intervention. For example, poverty is associated
with ill health, low education and often with poor diets, either
because of under-nutrition (and diarrhoea) or intakes that have
excessive calories but insufficient micronutrients. In either case,
poverty impairs health; and ill health impairs the escape from
poverty. Another example is provided by a recent abundant
agricultural harvest in India that has far exceeded storage
capacity. A substantial fraction of this harvest will be wasted due
to inadequate storage. Some grain that is badly stored will be
contaminated by aflatoxins and other fungi, which increases the
risk of cancer. This report presents the case for a more integrated
approach across sectors, research disciplines and diseases, taking
greater account of the increasingly widespread and systemic
influences on disease emergence and spread.