HEALTH 10

QUARTER 3
Global Health Trends, Issues, and Concerns
Week 7-8

What do I need to know?

At the end of this module, you must be able to

• discuss the significance of global health initiatives

• describe how global health initiatives positively impact people’s health in various countries
• analyze issues in the implementation of global health initiatives
• recommend ways of adopting global health initiatives to local or national context

Pre-test

Read these statements about global health and choose the best answer by writing the letter of your answer on
your answer sheet.
1. This international organization is the chief body responsible for providing leadership on global health, setting
norms and standards, and providing health support to countries around the world.
a. International Committee of the Red Cross
b. United Nations Health and Life Insurance
c. World Bank
d. World Health Organization

2. Which area recorded the highest death rate among children aged 5 years and below?
a. Africa
b. East Asia and Pacific
c. Latin America
d. South Asia

3. Which disease is the leading cause of death among people who live in developing countries?
a. heart diseases
b. HIV/AIDS
c. malaria
d. respiratory diseases

4. In what region did new HIV infections occur among individuals living in lowland middle-income
countries?
a. East Asia
b. Sub-Saharan Africa
c. South Asia
d. Pacific Region

5. Which life-style disease is the top leading cause of death worldwide?

a. diabetes
b. heart disease
c. hypertension
d. stroke

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 I Introduction
What’s in?
For its central role in global affairs, health issues are among the priority concerns of the United Nations.
It thus designated the World Health Organization to serve as the lead agency tasked to direct and coordinate
with all member nations regarding leadership, supervision, technical support, and education on matters about
health, which affects many countries—including the Philippines.
In the 21st century, public health protection is viewed both as a shared duty and obligation. Thus, people
need to understand global issues, concerns and trends that include fair access to essential healthcare and
protection against multinational threats which directly or indirectly affect the health and lives of billions of people
worldwide.

D Development
What is it?

Global Health and the Millennium Development Goals

The term “global health” rose in popularity along with the rise of
globalization. Both terms improved public awareness of vulnerabilities and
shared responsibilities among people for the different injustices in the
world.
Ilona Kickbush (2006), director of the Global Health Program at
the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva,
Switzerland states that global health pertains to various health issues,
concerns, and trends which go beyond national boundaries and call for global initiatives for the
protection and promotion of peoples’ health across the world.
Koplan and Associates (2009) states that global health is an area for study, research and practice that
prioritizes health improvement and achieving impartiality in healthcare and wellness worldwide. Beaglehole and
Bonita (2010) gave a short but meaningful definition of global health: cooperative research and action of
international communities to promote health for all.
Millennium Development Goals
The United Nations Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) are the eight
goals set by the 189 UN member states in
September 2000 and agreed to be achieved by
the year 2015. The Millennium Declaration was
signed at the September global summit held at
the UN headquarters in New York and the 149
international leaders in attendance committed
to combating disease, hunger, poverty,
illiteracy, discrimination against women and
environmental degradation. The MDGs were
derived from this Declaration, and specific
indicators and targets were attached to them.
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Developing countries particularly in Africa and Asia suffer from extreme poverty and hunger.
Poverty and hunger lead to severe malnutrition which leads to lifelong physical and cognitive (learning
and reasoning) damage and affects health, well-being, and the economy.

2. Achieve universal primary education

Persons, particularly women who are educated, are more likely to seek medical care especially
during pregnancy, ensuring proper nutrition for their family, adopting healthy sanitary practices, and
ensuring immunization of children. As an effect, infants and children have better survival rates are
healthier and better nourished.

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 3. Promote gender equality and empower women
Gender equality means equal representation of men and women. It implies that all gender should
have equal value and treatment. Equal gender treatment empowers women and other groups creating
opportunities in education, work, finances, and others.

4. Reduce child mortality

Programs and policies which help reduce child mortality like improving nutritional intake,
healthcare facilities and infrastructure, and other fields which improve children’s lives. Strengthening
local and national health programs and policies is one way to reduce child mortality.

5. Improve maternal health

Improving maternal health is not only about mother’s health but also involves the health and
wellness of the family. Maternal health also helps eradicate other problems like poverty, gender
inequality, decreased workforce, lower birth deaths, and disability of women.

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases

Emerging and re-emerging diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, influenza and other diseases affect
productivity and growth of nations. Some of the effects of disease outbreak are loss of jobs, shortage in
professional workers, and creating social crises. Children are the most vulnerable and are exposed to
exploitation and abuse undermining their normal growth and development.

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

Investing and supporting sustainable energy like solar, wind and water energy help support jobs,
create business opportunities, and save remaining non-renewable energy sources. Environmental
sustainability assures peoples to live healthier and enjoy a clean and green environment.

8. Global partnership and development

The United Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank, and governments work together to
make sure there is fair trade and that heavily indebted countries obtain relief and funds to combat poverty,
malnutrition and funds for education and social projects.

The implementation of these eight chapters of the Millennium Declaration was agreed to begin in 1st
January 2001, and the UN agreed to be holding such summits every five years to assess its progress
towards achieving the MDGs. The first follow-up to the Millennium Summit was held in 2005 at the 2005
World Summit.

Since 2001, the UN has given a lot of priority to the implementation of these MDGs, and though most of
the targets had not been achieved by 2015, a substantial positive progress has been recorded over the 15
years.

Global Health Initiatives

One of the benefits of globalization to the world is the development and improvement of various health
initiatives initiated by different nations and governments to address health issues and concerns. Global health
initiatives are programs set in motion by the United Nations through the World Health Organization and
in partnership with the World Bank which targets specific health problems including but not limited to emerging
and re-emerging diseases, climate change, environmental sanitation, mental health, tobacco regulation, and
alcohol use.

1. The Global Fight against Communicable Diseases

A. Roll Back Malaria.
Roll Back Malaria is a global effort to reduce the number of deaths from malaria infection through
heightened prevention tools, rapid response to outbreaks, development of new anti-malarial products, and
effective treatment of the infection.

Objectives:
1. To enable and to increase the capacity of caregivers to recognize malaria promptly and take early appropriate
action
2. To empower service providers by imparting adequate knowledge, skill and capacity which enable them to
respond to malaria illness appropriately
3. To create an enabling environment for implementation.

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B. Stop TB.
Stop TB is a global effort to prevent further transmission of tuberculosis or TB around the world. One of the
programs for Stop TB is the implementation of the TB-DOTS short-course strategy

Objectives:
1. To achieve universal access to high-quality diagnosis and patient-cantered treatment
2. To reduce the suffering and socio-economic burden associated with TB
3. To protect poor and vulnerable populations from TB, TB/HIV and multi drug-resistant – TB (MDR-TB)
4. To support development of new tools and enable their timely and effective use.
C. Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization is a global strategy which aims to strengthen
children’s immunization programs and introduce new generation of licensed vaccines into use in developing
countries across the globe. These new vaccines which could help reduce the number of deaths in children aged
5 years old and below includes:

• Hepatitis B vaccine
• Childhood meningitis vaccine
• Yellow fever vaccine
• Influenza vaccine
• Vaccine for pneumonia

D. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria is a funding project rather than an initiative. Nevertheless
it helps in the prevention, reduction, and mitigation of the negative impacts of the three diseases to humanity
which contributes to the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals.

E. Global Prevention and Control of Tobacco and Alcohol Use

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
(WHO FCTC) is the prime international treaty negotiated under WHO. The WHO FCTC came into existence
in reaction to the global epidemic of tobacco use and abuse. It reaffirms the right of every individual across
the world to the highest standard of health promoting public health and providing new legal means for global
health cooperation.
F. Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol.
The Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol recognizes the close ties between the harmful
use of alcohol and the socio-economic development of a nation. Likewise, this strategy builds and supports other
global health initiatives like the global strategy for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.

G. Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases.

The Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases is a global action plan
to prevent and control the following non-communicable diseases: cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory
diseases, cancers, and diabetes and the four shared risk factors: unhealthy eating, physical inactivity, tobacco
use and alcohol use.

Objectives of the Action Plan:

1. To raise the priority accorded to non-communicable disease at global and national levels and to integrate
prevention and control of such diseases into policies across all governments
2. To establish and strengthen national policies and plans for the prevention and control of non-communicable
diseases
3. To promote interventions to reduce the main shared but preventable risk factors for non-communicable
diseases: unhealthy eating, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and harmful use of alcohol
4. To promote research for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases
5. To promote partnerships for the prevention and control of non -communicable diseases
6. To monitor non-communicable diseases and their causal factors and evaluate progress at the local, national,
and global levels

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H. Global Initiative for Mental Health
The Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 is the result of extensive research and
consultations by stakeholders, member nations, academic and non-government centers across the globe. The
mental health action plan should be impartial, life-based, and preventive in nature. It basically addresses the
following:
• To fight and alleviate negative trends in mental health,
• To improve and make mental health services and care accessible, and
• To prevent abuse of rights and unjust treatment against people with mental problems,
disorders, and disabilities which are still prevalent around the world.

E Engagement
What is more?
Learning Task 1: What If?
What would happen if the Eight Millennium Development Goals are achieved or not? Copy and fill-out
the table below in your answer sheet.

GOAL What if this goal is What if this goal is

Millennium Developmental Goals
no. achieved? not achieved?

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Learning Task 2: Word Hunt!

Look for the 10 global health issues and concerns that the World Health Organization and member-nations
are facing. Write your answers in your answer sheet.

M A L A R I A I D E N T
W A T E R S A F E T Y R
A Q S E S A E S I D N E

H T L A E H S N E M O W

M E N T A L H E A L T H
Z X C N M K I L O P O E
A S D P A O V T R D N U

E N V I R O N M E N T G
E R D N O I T I R T U N
E S T Y R R W E T Y B E
S T O W T O B A C C O D

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 A Assimilation
What have I learned?
Performance Task: Poem-Writing
Choose one global health initiative of the World Health Organization and write a poem about it.
Include the aims of the initiative and its importance to global health. Minimum of 2 stanzas and 4
lines in each stanza. Be creative in writing your poem. Write your poem in a short bond paper.

Rubric for Assessment

CRITERIA 4 3 2 1
Creatively uses Effectively uses
May use Uses inappropriate
appropriate appropriate
appropriate poetry poetry form. Too
poetry form. poetry form.
Form Complete with two Complete with
form. Fewer than few stanzas or
four stanzas of four stanza length is
stanzas with two stanzas of
lines each. incorrect.
four lines each. four lines each.
Student’s use
of vocabulary is
precise, vivid, Student’s use of Student’s use of
and paints a vocabulary is vocabulary is more Student’s use of
Word Usage strong clear routine and telling than vocabulary is basic.
and complete workable. showing.
picture in the
reader’s mind.
Effectively
uses poetic
Uses poetic Uses some poetic
techniques
Poetry techniques such as techniques such as Uses few poetic
such as
Techniques figurative language figurative language techniques such as
figurative
(elements) to reinforce the to reinforce the figurative language.
language to
theme theme.
reinforce the
theme.
Has a grade level Has mainly grade
May contain
appropriate level appropriate May contain many
frequent and
spelling; grammar spelling, grammar, errors in spelling,
numerous errors in
Spelling, and punctuation; and punctuation; grammar, and/ or
spelling, grammar,
grammar, contains few, if contains some punctuation that
and punctuation
punctuation any, errors that do errors that do not may interfere with
that interferes with
not interfere with interfere with the the reader’s
the reader’s
the reader’s reader’s understanding.
understanding.
understanding. understanding.
Student’s work
demonstrates a Student’s work
Student’s work Student’s work
complete demonstrates
Understanding demonstrates an lacks
understanding of some
of the Topic understanding of understanding of
the assignment understanding of
the assignment. the assignment.
and goes beyond the assignment.
the requirements.

Reflection
Copy and answer the following in your answer sheet. Your responses must have at least three sentences for
each item.
1. How does the Philippine government address different local and national health issues and concerns like
HIV/AIDS cases and tobacco and alcohol- related diseases? Do you think it is enough to lessen the number of
cases at present? Why or why not?
2. Who do you think are the partners of the government in addressing health problems? How can they help in
minimizing various health problems?
3. How can educating young people like you help in developing socially conscious individuals who are aware of
the various global health threats and concerns?

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ASSESSMENT
Read each statement carefully. Write the letter of the correct answer in your answer sheet.
1. According to this person, the term global health pertains to various health issues, trends, and concerns which
beyond national boundaries and call for global initiative.
a. Ilona Kickbush b. Koplan Kickbush
c. Joana Kickbush d. Diana Kickbush
2. This global health issue leads to severe malnutrition which leads to a lifelong physical and cognitive damage.
a. Maternal Health b. Child Mortality
c. Poverty and Hunger d. Empower woman
3. It means all gender should have equal value and treatment.
a. Gender Equality b. Child Mortality
c. Poverty and Hunger d. Empower woman
4. These are the programs set in motion which targets specific health problems.
a. Child Mortality b. Global Health Initiatives
c. Poverty and Hunger d. Trade agreements
5. It is a funding project rather than an initiative.
a. Global Prevention and Control of Tobacco and Alcohol use
b. Global Health Initiatives
c. Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization
d. Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria
6. These are some of the benefits of a sustainable environment EXCEPT
a. Increased access to sanitation
b. New aspiring jobs and business in energy
c. Expanded International agreement
d. Cleaner air and environment
7. A communicable disease caused by plasmodium parasites transmitted through mosquito bites; characterized
by chills and fever.
a. Dengue b. Malaria
c. Cancer d. Tuberculosis
8. It is a type of an infection of the lungs but may also occur in other parts of the body, caused by a bacterium
which is manifested by lesions.
a. Dengue b. Malaria
c. Cancer d. Tuberculosis
9. It is the state of having no money and personal properties; living below minimum economic and social
standards.
a. Tobacco b. Postnatal
c. Poverty d. Hunger
10. It is the prime international treaty negotiated under WHO.
a. WHO TFCC b. WHO TCFC
c. WHO FTCC d. WHO FCTC

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