Public Health Essay: Foreign Policies, Climate Change, & Hazards

This essay examines the intricate relationship between foreign policies, climate change, and public health. It begins by defining foreign policies and illustrating their impact on public health issues and the management of hazards, including how they influence funding, alter the importance of certain health issues, and facilitate access to relief services. The essay then delves into the effects of climate change on vector-borne diseases, analyzing how increased rainfall, flooding, human migration, and rising global temperatures contribute to their spread by affecting vector and host abundance, the prevalence of pathogens, and human behavior. The essay provides examples such as the fight against polio and the increased risk of Zika and West Nile viruses, highlighting the complex interplay of these factors in shaping global health outcomes. Through this analysis, the essay underscores the need for sustained financial commitment, coordinated international efforts, and a comprehensive understanding of the impact of environmental changes on public health.

PUBLIC HEALTH
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Influence of foreign policies on public health issues and management of public health
hazards and the agencies involved
Foreign policies can be defined as a state’s strategies to deal with other governments or
states on matters concerning healthcare. It can also be defined as the manner in which a
country deals with other countries. Foreign policies influence public health issues and the
management of public health hazards in different ways.
First, foreign policies improve funding towards public health issues and the
management of public health hazards. From the definition of foreign policy, if a country relates
well with other countries, they can seek funds that can be channeled towards public health
issues like HIV/AIDS. This is mostly the case between developed and developed countries.
Through foreign policies, it is also possible to achieve sustained financial commitments and
coordinated international efforts. A good example of the public health issue, in this case, is
poliomyelitis. The fight against polio needs sustained financial commitment and coordination.
Besides, there is also the need for donor commitment. These collective efforts are rooted in the
concern that eradication of polio would be the greatest victory for public health. Thus, it can be
argued that foreign policies influence financial commitment and coordination among different
countries to eradicate certain public health threats like polio.
Foreign policies alter the importance of certain public health issues and hazards.
According to the World Health Organization, identifying a public health issue or hazard as of
national or international importance alters its importance relative to other public health issues.
Such issues are likely to get a giants share of the budget and since resources are limited in

nature globally, the efforts towards eradicating or dealing with other public health issues and
hazards might be completely crippled. A good example is allocating a lion’s share towards
eradication of HIV/AIDS while overlooking malaria and other diseases. In as much as mortality
due to HIV/AIDS might reduce, that of malaria might escalate due to limited resources. It is,
therefore, necessary to ensure that foreign policies regard different public health issues and
hazards in equal measure.
Foreign policies and agencies make it possible for victims of public health hazards to
access good relief services. A good example is the American Red Cross agency in the United
States of America. This organization has been on the forefront to ensure that the federal
government provides disaster relief services to those affected such as food, food, and other
health services. These services are provided to both man-made and natural public health
hazards.
In conclusion, foreign policies are galacticos in the eradication of public health threats
such as polio since there is sustained financial commitment and coordination among different
countries. However, marking certain public health issues and hazards as of national or
international status alters the importance of other public health issues. Further research
should, therefore, be conducted to come up with better ways in which foreign policies should
be incorporated.
Influence of climate change on three components that determine the occurrence of
vector-borne disease.

Climate change can be defined simply as variation in the expected or normal patterns of
average weather in certain regions. According to the World Health Organization, the three
components that define the occurrence of vector-borne diseases are vector and host
abundance, the prevalence of the disease-causing pathogens and finally the human population
behavior. Studies have been conducted and it has been established that climate change
influences the aforementioned components increasing the rate of vector-borne diseases in
return.
Increased rainfall, flooding, and humidity provides suitable breeding grounds for
vectors. According to research, the majority of disease vectors shelter or breed around pools of
water such as mosquitoes and tsetse flies. Climate change leads to increased rainfall and
flooding and this provides the avenue for breeding and hatching of eggs. A good example is in
2016 where different officials were braced for increased risk of Zika virus as well as the West
Nile virus immediately after the flooding in Louisiana. This was due to increased breeding
grounds for the Aedes mosquito that is responsible for the aforementioned diseases.
Human migration poses the risk of increased vector-borne diseases. Climate change
results in unfavorable weather conditions like high temperatures, high humidity, and flooding.
In attempts to seek favorable conditions, they migrate thus exposing other people to viruses
that they are not immune to. This act of migration then increases vector-borne diseases
especially in urban centers where there is a high population.
Rising global temperatures due to climate change increase the rate of vector-borne
diseases. This is due to the fact that it elongates the warm season and provides a wide

geographic range of disease-carrying insects. A good example is the warming in certain regions
of the USA has resulted in long seasons of the Zika carrying mosquitoes.