Download The Effect of Disease on the Economic Status of

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The Effect of Disease on the Economic Status of Qasim
Maria Fenner
ENGL 2089
17 April 2015
Abstract
Disease can have devastating consequences on a developing country. Various obstacles
can prevent a country such as Liberia from gaining the necessary resources to stop disease and
improve the quality of life of citizens. It is important that such boundaries be resolved to better
healthcare and improve the way of life of people in the developing world. Medical research
proves that the amount of pain an illness can cause on all levels of life for the citizens of a
developing country is horrific. Many people of developed countries do not realize the economic
impact that an infectious disease such as Ebola can have on a population. Increasing funding for
research, education and prevention could save many lives and protect the economy from the
destruction that disease creates. For instance, Ebola in Liberia has not only effected health and
the healthcare system, but the entire economic system. Through the loss of life, Liberia lost the
productivity of many and the economic growth that comes from a strong work force. The
destruction of disease will only create a ripple effect of economic pain that lasts for decades.
Introduction
In 2014, the medical world witnessed a modern major Ebola outbreak. The Journal of
Natural Sciences Research stated, “[t]he 2014 Ebola outbreak is one of the most devastating
outbreaks in history and the first ever witnessed in West Africa.” As of August 2014, 3,685 cases
and 1,841 deaths were reported (Jalloh 1). New Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone suffered
major losses in life, leading to fewer able-bodied workers, and a destroyed economy in already
impoverished countries. Seeing as many researchers and consumers believed Ebola to be a
problem of the past, the world was caught off-guard at its sudden onset. The widespread lack
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of awareness, research and preparation of the 2014 Ebola outbreak proves just how easily an
epidemic can sweep across a region, and threaten an entire way of life.
Background on Ebola
The Ebola virus is an extremely contagious hemorrhagic fever passed from human to
human through contact with bodily fluids such as blood and sweat. According to the World
Health Organization, Ebola is typically characterized by a sudden fever, weakness, muscle pain,
headache, nausea and a sore throat. Eventually, symptoms become much more severe and can
include vomiting, problems in kidney and liver function, and both internal and external bleeding
(Ebola Virus Disease: Background and Summary). While most common in West Africa as of late,
this disease is not limited to one area. In a time in which travel is extremely common, illness
could spread to all corners of the Earth in a matter of days. If Ebola were to spread it could
destroy lives, communities, economies, and entire populations.
There are several species of Ebola and many outbreaks in recent history. Titilola Obilade
of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University reports that the specific strain responsible
for the most recent outbreak is a variant of the Zaire species of Ebola virus and thought to have
been initially spread by bats (4). Such strain suggests that the virus from the outbreaks of the
1970s are still circulating, despite the common misconception that humans are now immune.
Infectious diseases like Ebola are not demolished so easily. It will take foreign aid, awareness
and research to combat Ebola at its source and prevent the rapid spread and skyrocketing
fatality rates that this illness guarantees.
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A deadly and highly contagious disease can reach epidemic proportions more quickly
than it can be combatted if proper steps are not taken. Derek Gatherer of the Journal of
General Virology warns, “[t]he case fatality rate in [Ebola virus disease] is so high, approaching
90% in some outbreaks… that members of the family Filoviridae have been classified as
Category A potential bioterrorism agents” (1). Without preventative actions and quick
containment of deadly diseases like Ebola, we stand no chance in fighting them. Left
unchecked, disease will wreak havoc on the stability of a developing nation. Major setbacks in
economic growth can stem from a small population of ill citizens.
The fatality rate in Guinea and Liberia as of April 2014 was 61%, only 27% less than the
all-time high 88% in both Congo in 2003 and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976-1977
(Jalloh 3). Even today with so much technology and research invested in the cure of major
diseases, we still see high fatality rates in cases like the West African Ebola outbreak. If, with
our rapidly growing list of advanced resources, we still cannot successfully fight small
outbreaks, we are welcoming major epidemic all over the world.
If not properly combatted, diseases like Ebola can spread rapidly from region to region.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report” for
the week of September 26, 2014 estimated that cases in Liberia are doubling every 15-20 days
and that, if trends continue, Liberia will soon account for 6,000 cases. In Sierra Leone, cases are
doubling every 30-40 days and the two countries could have 21,000 cases when correcting for
underreporting (Estimating the Future Number of Cases in the Ebola Epidemic - Liberia and
Sierra Leone 5). The more quickly we contain the disease, the faster we can prevent the spread
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and the mass death it can cause. When an epidemic like Ebola is left unchecked, it will only
continue to grow at rapidly increasing rates.
Healthcare, Development and Economy
In countries that have limited income, not all health services can be funded. The United
Nations Development Programme states, “[t]he epidemic is also reducing welfare. Health status
is seriously endangered by cuts in expenditures on non-Ebola related health services… As a
result, more people will die from childbirth, malaria and AIDS” (Assessing the Socio-economic
Impacts of Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone: The Road to Recovery 10).
With one epidemic consuming so much of the public’s attention and funding, other diseases
can easily be overlooked. Epidemics can strike quickly and steal public attention, funding and
lives more quickly than it can be combatted.
Disease impacts every aspect of everyday life. When a major epidemic like Ebola hits a
developing country, what is already a delicate system can be torn apart in a matter of months.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, an epidemic like the Ebola outbreak
of 2014 can erase five to ten years of socioeconomic growth in countries with high poverty
rates, such as Liberia, New Guinea and Sierra Leone, (Assessing the Socio-economic Impacts of
Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone: The Road to Recovery 8). For a modern
emerging country, it can take years to achieve even the slightest amount of growth.
Unfortunately, this growth could be as easily erased by an epidemic as it could be by a war. The
destruction that infectious diseases cause go far beyond the number of workers available.
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Death only begins a major ripple effect of pain felt in all areas of everyday life for the citizens of
expanding nations.
The Economic Commission for Africa illustrates the deep connections of disease and
economy, listing the economic impacts of Ebola felt by Liberia, New Guinea and Sierra Leone as
including but not limited to: public finance, public revenue, public spending, fiscal deficits,
investments, savings, private consumption, labor supply and productivity, inflation, money, and
exchange rates (Socio-Economic Impacts of Ebola on Africa: Revised Edition 13). So often it is
forgotten how far illness can reach beyond health. Health is the corner stone for a strong
country. Without a healthy population, a country has few workers, few consumers, few
tourists, and shrinking revenue.
Diminishing numbers of workers leads to floundering national earnings. As stated by the
Journal of Natural Sciences Research, the World Bank revised its projections for 2014 economic
growth in Liberia and Guinea “from 5.9% and 4.5% to 2.5% and 2.4% respectively. In all the
three hardest hit countries, whilst fiscal revenues are declining, government spending has
significantly increased in trying to contain the spread of the disease” (Mohamed 2). As less is
produced and more of a country’s resources are spent trying to stop the spread of disease, the
ripple effect of economic destruction only becomes more severe. Without rebuilding a strong
population of workers, a country cannot recover.
The healthier the workers, the stronger the country. Developing nations need a strong
foundation built on the ability of its laborers. Nations like the United States and United
Kingdom are easily protected by their strong foundations. If a citizen is ill, he or she can easily
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get the care they need to go back to work quickly. In unindustrialized nations however,
resources are hard to come by, and recovery from a major disease is far less likely. Dr. Dan
Yamin and colleagues of “Annals of Internal Medicine” declared that the number of Ebola cases
in Liberia exceeded the capacity of all treatment units in August 2014 and showed no sign of
improvements as Ebola continued to spread only months after the outbreak began (1). Without
sufficient preventative measures, the epidemic continued to spread and the risks of a much
larger-scale spread increased exponentially. When smaller countries are not given the
resources they need to combat epidemics, there is no chance in stopping the destruction of
disease.
Preventing Disease
Proper training for both citizens and clinicians is key in containing any illness, not just
Ebola. The World Health Organization’s Dr. Cota Vallenas emphasizes the importance of
educating health-care workers, explaining that of those who were trained in proper treatment,
“only 1 doctor out of the entire brigade of 400 health-care professionals became infected.”
With proper protective measures, more healthcare workers and more inhabitants can be
protected from contracting the illness.
Prevention is the first step in our marathon of fighting disease. The World Health
Organization declares, “[r]aising awareness of the risk factors for infection and the protective
measures that should be taken is the only way to reduce human infection and subsequent
deaths” (Ebola Virus Disease: Background and Summary). The biggest step that can be taken to
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combat disease is to prevent it from happening. Increasing awareness of disease and how it
spreads can only decrease the number of cases we see.
Inadequate government preparation for illness can only increase economic damage. In
the editorial “Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea: ‘Where Ecology Meets Economy,’”
Bausch and Schwarz state that in cases of such severe outbreaks, “inefficient and poorly
resourced governments struggle to respond, as we are seeing all too clearly with this outbreak
of Ebola virus disease in West Africa, which is now by far the largest on record” (4). In
developing countries such as Liberia and Qasim, preparation for the economic impact of disease
is key in minimizing destruction. In such dramatic cases as the 2014 West African Ebola
outbreak, protection will not stop all harm. However, the more that governments put into
preventative efforts, the less likely it will be that damage will be so detrimental.
Research and Funding
Research and progression in the fight of disease is key to slowing its progression and
stopping the soaring fatality rates all together. Unfortunately, developing countries like Liberia,
Sierra Leone and New Guinea don’t have the resources available to fund major research. Only
when a disease comes to a major world power do we tend to see more efforts and funds go
into disease research. The World Health Organization reports that no licensed Ebola
vaccinations currently exist and only two potential options are being evaluated. Meanwhile, the
virus continues to spread into both remote villages, and major urban areas (Ebola Virus
Disease). There is no way to stop Ebola if we do not begin searching for a biological cure.
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When support is provided to these struggling nations, they improve quickly. However,
they cannot do this themselves. According to Caitlin Rivers and colleagues of the Network
Dynamics and Simulation Science Lab, “[c]ompared to contact tracing alone, there is a small
reduction in the number of hospitalized cases… but a stronger decrease in the number of
community, funeral and overall cases depending on the efficacy of the hypothetical
pharmaceutical” (12). For such an international problem, few financially sound countries have
supported research and prevention for Ebola outside of their own countries. Stopping travel
does not stop Ebola. We need research and vaccinations worldwide to fight the epidemic at its
source and abolish it altogether.
Conclusion
In order to solve the major problem that is Ebola, the developed world needs to come
together in efforts to protect those of less fortunate backgrounds. Smaller nations especially
need outside aid if they are to continue on the path to a better way of life for citizens. As death
consumes so much of a small economy, nations left to fend for themselves will only see stunted
commercial growth as their work force declines and the number of orphans and disabled
citizens rises.
Disease in a developing country is devastating. Loss of life is enough to harm a powerful
country, not to mention one which is relying on the growth of the people. As Qasim grows into
a Middle Eastern democracy, it is important that its people stay healthy and able to work.
Without a strong workforce, our economy will weaken and our growth, both economically and
comprehensively, will be stunted. The lack of awareness, research and preparation which, in
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part, led to the 2014 Ebola outbreak proves just how easily an epidemic can take an
unprepared region by surprise and threaten an entire lifestyle.
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Works Cited
"Assessing the Socio-economic Impacts of Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone: The Road to Recovery." United Nations Development Programme (2014). United
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Bausch, Daniel, and Lara Schwarz. "Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea: Where Ecology
Meets Economy." PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 8.7 (2014): 1-5. PLOS Neglected
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<http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/>.
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