IBGeographySLRevision Notes9. Food & Health9.4 Future Health & Food Security & Sustainability9.4.3 Prevention & Treatment of Disease

Prevention & Treatment of Disease (SL IB Geography)

Revision Note

Grace Bower

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Prevention & Treatment of Disease

Prevention and treatment

  • Healthcare systems differ across the world
    • Some countries focus on prevention, whilst others focus on treatment
  • Preventative Healthcare involves preventing the disease from manifesting or spreading
    • General avoidance of disease contraction and spread
    • Quick detection of diseases to improve recovery 
    • Anticipating disease to stop further development 
    • Examples include yearly flu jabs or cancer screenings
  • The advantages of preventative healthcare include:
    • It helps to spot or diagnose some diseases early e.g. cervical cancer screening
      • This can lead to recovery as diseases haven't progressed
    • It can be cheap and easy to distribute e.g. education and health campaigns
    • It stops the spread of disease before it becomes dangerous
  • Curative Healthcare involves the treatment of a disease post-infection 
    • Very effective with the correct resources e.g. hospitals and medical staff
    • Examples include antibiotics or chemotherapy 
    • Curative healthcare is more common globally
  • The advantages of curative healthcare include:
    • Entirely getting rid of a disease or illness instead of just reducing the severity
    • Supports recovery from a disease 
  • Primary healthcare combines both prevention and treatment strategies

Social Marginalization Issues

Social marginalisation issues

  • Social marginalisation is the exclusion of certain groups in society 
  • Marginalised people may not be able to access or afford healthcare
    • This is particularly a problem where healthcare isn’t free
  • Immigrants may not be able to register themselves with healthcare providers easily 
  • Poorer people are typically more at risk of Diseases of Poverty 
    • Many Diseases of Poverty are preventable diseases e.g. measles or polio 
    • Disease prevention is an ideal strategy e.g. vaccinations for measles and polio 
  • If education rates are lower, disease prevention may not be as effective
    • Curative strategies would therefore be a better option

Government Priorities

Government Priorities

  • Governments may prioritise curative healthcare
  • This may negatively impact ‘\people who need preventative treatment
    • Governments could improve by ensuring their focus and priority is on the provision of preventative healthcare for people who need it most 
  • During endemics or pandemics, governments must minimise disease spread and develop preventative or curative treatments
  • In many cases, the cost of health strategies can influence government choices
    • Some treatment options are significantly more expensive than preventative measures
  • Governments may analyse how risky a disease may be
    • If the effects of the disease are not concerning, cheaper prevention methods may be adopted
    • E.g. there are all sorts of flu strains that come around each year
    • The UK offers regular preventative flu jabs for free or at a low price

Means of Infection

Means of infection 

  • The means of infection can affect whether preventative or curative strategies are chosen 
  • Communicable diseases are contagious diseases, therefore prevention is vital 
    • With curative treatment, millions of people will contract the disease and be at risk of serious health issues or even death, before a cure is found 
  • Non-communicable diseases may also benefit from preventative measures e.g. improving diets can reduce the risk of heart disease or high blood pressure
    • However, in much of the developing world, curative strategies already exist for many non-communicable diseases
  • If a new/unknown disease appeared, curative measures would be the only real option 
  • If a disease spreads very quickly, then it would be too late for preventative measures
  • Some diseases in high quantities would need primary healthcare e.g. malaria 
  • Prevention of disease could waste money e.g. screenings without disease discovery 
    • Money could be funnelled into better curative medicine for people already suffering

Scientific Intervention

Scientific Intervention 

  • Without scientific intervention, many prevention and treatment options wouldn’t be available
  • Science has contributed to the creation of:
    • Preventative measures like vaccines for smallpox and hepatitis
    • Curative measures like radiation therapy for cancer
  • Scientific intervention and advice are vital for deciding which healthcare approach to adopt
    • Scientific intervention may guide government policies on global approaches e.g. to pandemics
    • Scientific bodies associated with charities and other non-governmental organisations may put pressure on governments to follow a particular strategy
  • Countries with more investment in scientific and healthcare sectors will be able to provide more curative and preventative treatment 

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    Grace Bower

    Author: Grace Bower

    Expertise: Geography Content Creator

    Grace graduated with a first-class degree in Geography from Royal Holloway, University of London. In addition to being a tutor and qualified TEFL teacher, she has extensive experience in writing geography exam content for online learning companies. Grace’s main interests are in the intricacies of human and political geographies. She is passionate about providing access to educational content and spreading knowledge and understanding of geography, one of the most important and relevant subjects in the world today.