Child Mortality Case Study: Cancer's Impact and Policy Implications

This discussion post examines a case study on child mortality in England and Wales, highlighting cancer as a leading cause of death in children under 15. The analysis reveals that DNA mutations, both inherited and spontaneous, are major contributors to childhood cancers. The post draws lessons from this case study, emphasizing the need for mandatory cancer screening in Saudi Arabia to protect its future generations. It underscores the moral duty of parents and the government to safeguard children's health, advocating for policies that prioritize early cancer detection and treatment. The discussion emphasizes the importance of healthcare policies in addressing health disparities and protecting vulnerable populations. The student explores the significance of allocating resources to protect children from diseases, particularly cancer, and ensuring the continuity of human species.

The case study examining the vulnerable population affected by a regional health concern
is a case study of child mortality in England and Wales retrieved
from https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/
deaths/bulletins/childhoodinfantandperinatalmortalityinenglandandwales/2016
Base on the case study, it was established that cancer is the main cause of death for
children less than 15 years. In 2016 alone, 2, 651 children less than 15 years died from different
types of cancers in both England and Wales (Smith et al., 2014). This translated 20.6% of child
mortality that year. Between 2015 and 2016, it’s estimated that child mortality as a result of
cancer increased from 3.7 per 1000 live births to 3.8 deaths (Gupta et al., 2014). Globally, cancer
is the leading cause of death for children and adolescents. Based on the case study, the major
causes of cancer in children in England and Wales were first, DNA mutations from the parents.
The study revealed that most of the children inherit the DNA mutations from their parents which
increases their risk of getting certain types of cancer (Liu et al., 2015). However, the study also
revealed that some children develop DNA mutations on their own resulting in cancer.
Yes, from this case study, some lessons can be learned and applied to Saudi Arabia’s
healthcare policy. One of the lesson that can be learned from this case study is that cancer is a
major threat to the future generation of Saudi Arabia given that globally, it’s the leading cause of
death among the youth which will form the future generations. This means that to save future
generations, there is a need for necessary measures to be put in place to address the issue of
cancer especially among the children in Saudi Arabia. One of the measures that can be
incorporated into the policy of South Arabia is mandatory cancer screening for all children in
South Arabia. With this policy, cancer can be diagnosed in its early stages which is treatable.
The government will be able to save many lives and secure the future generation by doing this.

Generally, children will form the future generation and enhance the continuity of human
species. Therefore, the current generation has a moral duty to ensure that there is a continuity of
the human species by protecting children against diseases such as cancer (Sankar et al., 2015).
Parents have the first moral obligation to ensure that their children live healthy lives that will
enable them to grow up to be successful and succeed them. Parents can do this by seeking
medication for their children whenever they are not feeling well and also by providing for their
children daily. The government is another body that has a major role to play in ensuring the
safety of children. The government exists to protect all its citizens’ especially vulnerable groups
by allocating enough resources that will ensure their safety. It’s the primary role of the
government to ensure that enough resources have been allocated to protect children against
diseases especially cancer through cancer screening programs.

Reference
Gupta, S., Rivera-Luna, R., Ribeiro, R. C., & Howard, S. C. (2014). Pediatric oncology as the
next global child health priority: the need for national childhood cancer strategies in low-
and middle-income countries. PLoS medicine, 11(6), e1001656.
Liu, L., Oza, S., Hogan, D., Perin, J., Rudan, I., Lawn, J. E., ... & Black, R. E. (2015). Global,
regional, and national causes of child mortality in 2000–13, with projections to inform
post-2015 priorities: an updated systematic analysis. The Lancet, 385(9966), 430-440.
Sankar, M. J., Sinha, B., Chowdhury, R., Bhandari, N., Taneja, S., Martines, J., & Bahl, R.
(2015). Optimal breastfeeding practices and infant and child mortality: a systematic
review and meta‐analysis. Acta paediatrica, 104, 3-13.
Smith, M. A., Altekruse, S. F., Adamson, P. C., Reaman, G. H., & Seibel, N. L. (2014).
Declining childhood and adolescent cancer mortality. Cancer, 120(16), 2497-2506.