Essay: Communicable Disease

The communicable diseases are those illnesses which affect the person due to the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the human body. Some of the pathogenic diseases which affect the human beings are HIV, measles, blood-borne illnesses etc.  The virus is contagious as it infects the respiratory tract of the person.  In recent years the spread of communicable diseases is increasing and many countries are falling victim to it. These infectious diseases are very relevant to be studied as they affect the country socially and economically. It is important that the government of the countries take note of the health issues to protect the people. In the essay below the communicable disease in the country of United Kingdom is being discussed along with its significance. Moreover the essay will shed light on the preventive measures which the Australian government should take. 

Significance of public health issue 

According to Nicolay et al., (2020) United Kingdom is one among those countries in which numbers of communicable diseases are increasing day by day.  The communicable disease which is spreading in United Kingdom is measles. The cases of measles are occurring frequently. Numbers of researchers are contributing to find out the solution of this problem and how to protect the people from it (Arie, 2017). The large outbreaks of measles is said to be linked with the MMR coverage occurring in London, Cheshire, Surrey etc. Numbers of researches have been carried out by the researchers to comprehend the problem of measles in the United Kingdom. Public health England exists in the country to protect the health of the citizens (Gadroen et al., 2018). 

Measles is said to be highly infectious disease which is easily transmitted from people to people.  The control of this disease is important to protect the lives of the people. The breakout of this disease can cripple down the productivity of the country.  It is important to make the citizens aware because even a single traveler carrying the disease can affect the rest of the people of the particular area (Ghebrehewet, et al., 2013). NHS England is working to determine the epidemiological link among the confirmed cases as they can lead to the outbreak. WHO has also stated that measles should be prevented and then collaboration should be done to eradicate the life threatening disease (Keenan, 2016).

Thus, England is working on developing a national plan for the purpose of eradicating the disease from its core. Before the vaccine was developed there were more than 800,000 deaths in the United Kingdom but today vaccine has worked to prevent the outbreak at large (Cottrell, & Roberts,2011). Thirty years later, the MMR immunisation program's effectiveness has resulted in the eradication of both measles and rubella in the United Kingdom. However, there are still more obstacles to overcome. United Kingdom is yet to reach the target of WHO of 90% MMR vaccination uptake by giving two doses to the children before they reach the age of five (Crick et al., 2014). 

 NHS England has also reported that the health care facilitators are immune to the face that the immunity level of the young adults is below the average level to fight the virus of measles. Thus, measles is one of the most significant communicable diseases which the country needs to prevent (De Waroux et al., 2016). 

Population at Risk 

People with compromised immune system such as children, young adults, and the pregnant women are highly at risk of suffering from measles. On the other hand the unvaccinated children are also at risk of suffering from measles. It is one of the most serious and contagious disease caused by the virus. It is the most contagious disease which is spread by the coughing and sneezing or when the infected person is close to the person (Edelstein et al., 2019).  The school going children can spread the virus if they are not vaccinated. As the disease can be transmitted easily. 

The first sign of measles is that the body suffers from high fever and lasts up to four to seven days.  The person also suffers from diarrhea, dehydration, infections or severe pneumonia. Grayish spots on the cheeks and red eyes are also the symptoms of measles (Thornton, 2019).

Socioeconomic Impacts

The suboptimal take against the measles by certain socioeconomic groups in the country have contributed to the increase in the number of cases.  The young adult children belonging to the marginalized families and the migrants coming to the country has also increased the cases. Children and young adults are likely to miss their schools affecting their education. Moreover, the young adults are also likely to miss their jobs affecting the work productivity which results in affecting the nation on the large scale. When people take off from their work, this affects the productivity of the country as well.  The economic impact of the diseases in the high income countries depicts high-end costs of the outbreaks which the government takes. The economic costs of the communicable diseases affect the productivity of the country. 

 According to Basarab (2019) most of the households of the United Kingdom spend more than 10% of their income on treating the measles and protecting their children. The cost has been increasing.  In serious cases deaths can also occur. Smith & Newton (2017) also state that the government of United Kingdom is working to raise awareness and has vaccines available to combat the disease. It is very important for the government of the country to take high-end measures before the disease creates further destruction on the economy of the country.  The nurses and the doctors are also at risk of suffering from disease when they cure the patient thus the lives of the doctors are also at stake. The cost and expenses of the treatment is not affordable by most of the people of the country which can affect the stability of the country too (Armstrong, 2018).

Prevention Strategies 

Armstrong et al., (2018) states the condition was well controlled once but since 2016 the cases are increasing.  And in the first quarter of 2019 there were more than 300 cases which were reported.  The only effective way to control the situation is to raise awareness, ensure people get their children timely vaccinations, and prevention measures to ensure. Prime Minister of the country called the health leaders to do efforts to prevent the disease from spreading. 

The European commission for disease prevention and control also warned countries that there are significant chances of measles transmission from one country to another. Over the past three years there has been an increase in the spread of measles in the country. The NHS England has been effectively working to ensure that they are able to combat the disease and protect the citizen by implementing effective programs (Thornton, 2019). They are working to provide vaccination to of measles to protect the people (Najjar et al., 2014). NHS England is working on strengthening the efforts of the local health care center to help the people of the country.  

 The Green Paper on prevention of disease has also proposed the vaccination strategies to implement the proper measures and protect its people. Awareness campaigns are also being launched to make people understand what this disease is about and how to prevent it from spreading.  Vaccine had been mandatory for the people because the country needs to combat it. Measles can be prevented by taking the two doses of measles as it is a part of NHS vaccination programs.  United Kingdom was once a place which had the status of being measles free but it has lost its status in 2016. Jost et al., (2015)  states that according to NHS there were more than two hundred cases of measles in the country and the number has been increasing ever since.  Thus, it is important that the children get the double dose of vaccine. 

Registered medical practitioners are obligated by law to notify the local health protection team of suspected measles cases under the Health Protection Regulations Act (2010)(Nicholl et al., 2016). These teams' contact information, as well as a form to fill out, is available online so that it get filled on time. This helps in giving immediate attention to the one who is suffering from the disease. After receiving a notification form, health protection teams will conduct a risk assessment of the patient, which will include addressing the patient's clinical presentation, if they have been exposed to a case of measles, any recent travel, and information about their close connections. 

The necessity for public health actions and measures should be given at hand and they are part of the risk assessment plan. 

Proposed control measures in Australia

Australia needs to take great measures to ensure that its citizen do not suffer from the outbreak of measles. As the diseases has the capability of crippling down the productivity of the country and taking the lives of the people. The MMR vaccine is the safest prevention measure which the country can take.  In Australia the children are vaccinated as it is the part of its National Immunisation program (Nicholl et al., 2016). At the age of 12 months the children are said to receive their first dose of vaccine followed by the second dose in the 18th month.  If the child is vaccinated there are 90% chances that he or she will be protected against the disease (MacIntyre et al., 2018). 

Australia is trying its best to vaccine all the children. It needs to make sure the children of all the communities receive timely vaccine (Najjar et al., 2014). The health official needs to raise awareness regarding its prevention and spread as well. People coming from different countries should be asked to show their vaccination evidence. In order to avoid threatening the lives of the citizens. 

Australia needs to be careful regarding the spread of measles as the communicable disease is spreading in its neighboring country at large. Australian government has been very diligent in preventing the spread of measles in the country.  Local public health authorities of Australia should be responsible for the regular checkups of the children and the adults to check the symptoms of the virus on.  Those children who are vaccinated their data should be recorded. Penalty should be on the parents if they do not get their children vaccinated (Jost et al., 2015). The evidence for a confirmed case of measles has been adopted by Australian states and territories, which needs laboratory evidence from an established reference laboratory or an epidemiological link to a laboratory confirmed case in addition to clinical; evidence (Beard et al., 2011). 

Conclusion

In conclusion it can be said that measles is one of the most common communicable disease which has the capacity to take the life of the person. Along with the other countries United Kingdom has also faced its outbreak which is taking a toll on the economy of the country. When a person with measles talks, breathes, coughs, or sneezes, tiny particles containing infectious agents are released into the air. Small particle aerosols are what they're termed. Small particle aerosols can travel vast distances on air currents and remain suspended in the air for minutes to hours due to their small size. The governments of Australia and England have to take preventive measures to contain the spread of disease in their respective countries to ensure the well-being of the citizens.