Approaches and Strategies to Control Diseases in Community

Running head: PUBLIC HEALTH
Public health
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s note

1PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduction:
Public health is defined as the science of protecting and improving the health of people
and the community. This outcome is achieved by promoting healthy lifestyles, injury prevention,
disease surveillance and detection, and responding to infectious diseases (Cdc.gov 2018). Public
health professionals focus on identifying health problem in a local community and implementing
programs and services to educate people and address health disparities. Hence, public health
agencies play a vital role in improve health of an individual or entire local population. This paper
will mainly discuss about different approaches and strategies used to control diseases in
community and evaluate the role of WHO, Public Health England and Local communities in
dealing with diseases. The concept of health and well-being in relation to one London borough
will also be discussed.
Task 1
1.1 Role played by WHO, Department of Health or Public Health England and Local
Authorities in identifying levels of health and diseases in communities
The core function of World Health Organization (WHO) in public health is to manage
critical matters related to health and engage in partnership. It also plays a role in monitoring
health situation in particular country and assessing the current health trend in a region (World
Health Organization 2015). In response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, WHO
investigated about the first case of the disease and worked closely with government officials and
community leaders to find the immediate solution to resolve the emergency situation. WHO
staffs developed safe isolation units within four communities. WHO also entered into

2PUBLIC HEALTH
consultation with experts in infection prevention and control to segregate high risk areas from
low risk area and arrange for patient triage (WHO 2015). In response to the earthquake in Haiti
that took place in the year 2010, WHO works with local authorities, United Nations and
Humanitarian partners in situations requiring emergency response. It also supported the Haitian
government by providing health assistance and disseminating the data on consequences of the
earthquake. WHO also played an important function in controlling risk of communicable disease
during an earthquake (WHO 2010).
Public Health England (PHE) is an executive agency of the Department of Health. It
plays a major role in increasing surveillance and ensuring that right information related to
disease is available at the right time to inform public health decisions. Three specific actions
taken by the agency includes data collection, data analysis by surveillance experts and makes
policy related decisions. It is responsible for promoting public health by reducing differences,
responding to public health emergencies, supporting local authorities to plan health and social
care services and analysing data to improve public health related issues and challenges (Public
Health England 2017). For example, to eliminate measles and rubella cases in England, PHE has
planned to outline how cases and contacts must be investigated and managed to control measles.
PHE reports gives update on vaccine coverage each year and develop relevant programmes to
identify susceptible populations, their reasons for avoiding vaccination and implementing
interventions accordingly (Public Health England 2019).

3PUBLIC HEALTH
Figure 1: Distribution of total vaccine coverage. Source: (Atkins et al. 2016)
Local authorities have been responsible in improving health of local population and their
core responsibilities are listed in the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It includes their
responsibility to improve public health by providing research related to health improvement,
opening facilities for prevention of illness, providing financial incentives to families and
providing assistance to people to reduce risk of death. For example, UK has the highest rate of
tuberculosis incidents. In response to this issue,, local authority staffs played a frontline role in
controlling TB. It included identifying symptoms, implementing appropriate control, responding
to TB and ensuring protection for people at risk (Local Government Association 2018).
1.2 Epidemiology of HIV or MRSA and Breast cancer or diabetes (Type 2) in the United
Kingdom.
Epidemiology of HIV in UK
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a retrovirus that infects the body to cause
severe damage to the immune system. The virus is commonly transmitted through unprotected

4PUBLIC HEALTH
sex, sharing needles and injecting drugs and having sex with multiple partners. Some of the
common symptoms found in patient with HIV infection initially includes fever and aches. The
later symptoms of HIV includes sore throat, headaches, diarrhea, dizziness, shortness of breath
and dry cough. Recent data published for new HIV diagnosed in 2018 revealed that about 4, 363
people were diagnosed with HIV in 2007. The number of cases of HIV is declining and past two
years has seen substantial drop in rate. For example, in 2017, 17% drop in diagnosis was seen
compared to 2016 and 28% drop in rate was seen in 2015 (Public Health England 2017). In
2015, 101, 200 people were living with HIV in the UK. The prevalence rate was estimated to be
1.6 per 1, 000 population. The new diagnosis rate was 11.4 per 100, 000 people (Public Health
England 2016). However, improvement in new HIV diagnoses in 2017 was seen because of
increase in HIV testing and repeats HIV testing among high risk men (Public Health England
2017).
In 2015, the percentage of people diagnosed late included 56% and the total late
diagnosis rate in 2017 was 43% (Public Health England 2017). The highest rate in 2017 was
found among black African heterosexual mean and lowest rate was found in gay and bisexual
men. In addition, the number of deaths among people with HIV in 2017 included 428 deaths.
The positive aspect of care is that uptake of HIV related care has increased by 50% from the year
2008 to 2017. This positive figures has been achieved because of ongoing new diagnosed and
people living longer with the HIV. The ART (antiretroviral therapy) coverage was 98% and for
those received ART, they were very less likely to pass on HIV (Public Health England 2017).
ART is one of the most effective treatment has been introduced in UK to transform lives of
people affected by HIV. This treatment has enables people to live longer with the disease and
little or no side effects.

5PUBLIC HEALTH
Epidemiology of breast cancer in UK:
The number of new cases of breast cancer reported in UK in 2015 was 55, 122 cases and
the reported number of deaths from cancer in 2016 included 11, 563. It is projected that the
incidence rate of type 2 diabetes is expected to increase by 2% in the period between 2014 and
2035. In England, breast cancer was found to be less common in females living in the most
deprived areas. The statistics on breast cancer mortality is also alarming as 11, 400 breast cancer
related deaths have occurred in UK every year. However, it is projected that mortality rate will
fall to 31 deaths per year (Cancer Research UK 2017). Some of the treatments and control for the
disorder includes implementation of preventative therapy to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in
cancer incidence. However, the success of the treatment is dependent on adequate to preventive
therapy. Use of tamoxifen or raloxifene has been recommended as preventive therapy by the UK
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (Hackett et al. 2018)