Child Development and Public Health

For this week’s posting those who know me well might have assumed I would pick the health topic of mental health of mothers, fathers, and families in general since my first master’s degree is in Psychology.  I chose instead, the topic of immunizations. 

Immunization, according to Berger (2009), is “a process that stimulates the body’s immune system to defend against attack by a particular contagious disease.  Immunization may be accomplished either naturally (by having the disease) or through vaccination (often by having an injection)” (Berger, 2009, p. 150).

This is a topic in which I am very interested in because of my work with children over the years that have been diagnosed with conditions on the Autism Spectrum.  I also find this topic interesting because of the work I have done in the past with international exchange students from all over the world.  Each year there were some countries that did not have access to the immunizations needed for the students to be able to enter school in the U.S.  These students would need to get these immunizations as soon as they arrived in the U.S.  Fortunately for the students and their host families the scholarship the students were here on would pay for these immunizations.  If this was not the situation, I am not sure if these students would have been able to make the most of this opportunity as many of the students come from countries where the economy is not in great shape.

One country that I have never worked with and chose to research for this assignment is Sierra Leone.  Located in West Africa, Sierra Leone, according to Renner, et. al., (2005), has a population of 4.6 million.  The health indicators for Sierra Leone are poor.  According to Renner, et. al., (2005), an example of life expectancy at birth is 34.2 years; the probability of dying (per 100 live births) before the age of 5 years is 313 and between 15 and 59 years is 619.  The number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births is 2000.  These dismal health indicators are a reflection of poor governance, poor macroeconomic performance, and poor national health system performance (Renner, et. al., 2005).

In Sierra Leone the Ministry of Health and Sanitation provides about 50% of health care services.  The remainder of services are provided by the private sector and national/international associations.  There are 13 health districts, each with a District Health Management Team responsible for the implementation, supervision and monitoring of health programs in the district.  According to Renner, et. al., (2005), Sierra Leone has a total of 31 government hospitals, 22 mission hospitals/clinics, 78 private hospitals/clinics and a network of 788 PHUs.  There are geographical inequities in the distribution of health facilities in the country which contributes greatly to the poor health indicators (Renner, et. al., 2005).

It is important, personally, to research and learn about such conditions as well as others in the public health of various countries.  If I am to become an effective advocate for those who need a voice, I need to understand the family’s roots.  I also feel it is important to have a greater understanding of other countries in order to have a well-balanced education.

References

Berger, K. S. (2009). In The developing person through childhood. New York: Worth. 

Renner, A., Kirigia, J., Zere, E., Barry, S., Kirigia, D., Kamara, C., & Muthuri, L. (2005). Technical efficiency of peripheral health units in Pujehun district of Sierra Leone: a DEA application. BMC Health Services Research, 577.