The world is rapidly urbanizing with significant
changes in our living standards, lifestyles, social behaviour and health.
Urbanizations readily affect the epidemiological characteristics of parasitic
diseases. Depending on the pace, dynamics and environment, urbanization can
either promote or hinder the spread of parasitic infections. In most developed
cities, better living conditions, improvement of domestic hygiene and targeted
public interventions started the decline of infectious diseases. At the same
time chronic diseases have progressed because of changes in lifestyle,
population aging and improvement in the diagnostic capacities of health
services.
However, uncontrolled urban growth has also resulted in large health inequities and in increases in the transmission of infections diseases in developing cities. Generally population growth, rural-urban migration and poor development of urban physical environment have facilitated the spread of many parasitic diseases such as malaria, amoebiasis, Giardiasis, Geohelminthiasis. filariasis. leishmaniasis and trypanosorniasis. The increasing morbidity and mortality from these parasitic diseases has caused several negative consequences. decreasing economic productivity, low performance in school and increasing medical costs. Other factors that have contributed in facilitating the spread of parasitic infection and other health hazards in urban areas includes:
* Unplanned and congested residential
areas.
* Shortage of adequate safe water supply
* Poor waste management
* Poor sewerage disposal.
* Poor sanitation
* Environmental pollution (Air, water, noise)
* Uncoordinated urban development.
* Shortage of adequate safe water supply
* Poor waste management
* Poor sewerage disposal.
* Poor sanitation
* Environmental pollution (Air, water, noise)
* Uncoordinated urban development.
A range of Economic, political, social, cultural and
environmental factors are the effects of urbanization. Given the serious
effects that urbanization can have on health, it is essential that several and
adequate measures be taken to arrest its negative impacts. As Herbert Girardet
an expert on urban sustainability has stated “if we are to continue to live in
cities, indeed if we are to continue to flourish on this planet, we will have
to find a viable relationship between cities and the living world, a
relationship not parasitic but symbiotic or mutually supportive”.
Among these measures includes:
* Diseases
surveillance, control and prevention. In cities. numerous resources are present
and political power, money and knowledge are concentrated. Urban centers offer
incredible opportunities for disease surveillance, control and prevention that
are absent in rural areas. Well planned strategies for vector control have
enabled cities to eliminate malaria and dengue (Elkhalifa et al; 2008). The improvement of local
capacities to identify, control and prevent communicable diseases that have the
potential to spread widely is of international interest. Surveillance is of
primary importance, and changes in public health strategies can have
substantial consequences. In Singapore, the re-emergence of dengue is partly a
result of decreased vector surveillance and a shift towards case detection in
the late 1980s (OOI et al; 2006,). Through
use of the international help, nations improve their surveillance and response
capacities with a substantial local, national and international effect. Clearly
a comprehensive global approach to disease surveillance, control and prevention
is increasingly needed (Hufnagel et
al; 2004,).
1. Conventional health strategies should be adopted according to the dynamic of urbanization and
to the distinctive epidemiological pattern of transmittable diseases in cities.
2. Whenever possible, local governments should
incorporate health concerns into urban policies, such as economic
promotion and community development. In Marikina Philippines the combination of
riverside clean-up campaigns, improvement in waste management services, health
education and resettlement programmes resulted in a sharp decrease of dengue
infections (WHO; 2010). In
view of the above examples Government should incorporate health concerns in the
policies.
There should be well coordinated urban planning to
restrict household overcrowding and emerging slums and squatter settlements.
* Rural
— urban migration should be discouraged through government policies, massive
rural development and provision of infrastructure. Opportunities should be
created within rural areas.
* Urban
dwellers should be encouraged to adopt positive lifestyle as it concerns
environmental pollution and sanitation through media campaign, and health
education.
* Campaign
on weekly or monthly clean-up exercises should be intensified
There should be improvement in the management of solid wastes.
There should be improvement in the management of solid wastes.
* Modem
equipment for adequate sewerage disposal should be procured. Opening of septic
tanks on gutters and open surfaces should be discouraged.
* Provision
of safe drinking water is vital in cities.
* Pollutions
(either on the Air, water or noise) emanating from industries should be
restricted.
* Migrants
need to be screened and quarantined for possible harboring of parasitic
infections before admittance into the city.
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