Global public health concerns to watch in 2019

Post date: Jan 18, 2019 5:24:26 PM

With the seeming lack of any respite from outbreaks of infectious diseases everywhere, the world continues to pay attention to health issues, particularly in regard to new and groundbreaking treatments. Here are some of the most important concerns in public health in 2019, according to public health experts such as Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D.

The controversy surrounding the Dengvaxia vaccine released by Sanofi continues to place a strain on health systems in various countries. The expansive deployment of the supposedly ineffective dengue vaccine in the Philippines has led to legal threats, and WHO experts are advising that the drug be only administered to patients previously infected with dengue. Still, Sanofi is keen on acquiring a license from the FDA to have it sold in the U.S. This looks to be an uphill climb for the drug manufacturer as most Americans have no past history of dengue, exactly the controversy with the drug.

2018 is supposedly the year of the eradication of polio, also marking the 30th anniversary of the launch of the program for its complete eradication. This is a long wait, to say the least, given that it only took 13 years for the world to completely do away with smallpox. What’s worse is that the program is looking at gaining another $4.2 billion in a new five-year plan.

Why is this? Because, instead of totally eradicating polio, there have been more cases of it in 2018 than in 2017 (29 as of December). The countries where it continues to thrive and affect children are Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many fear that this is a sign of further polio proliferation in years to come, and the call is to immediately strengthen the fight both in terms of awareness and infrastructure development to annihilate the disease. Health professionals as Dr. Martin Lloyd Sanders stress that donor fatigue must not be taken for granted, as is the case in the battle against measles, which is now undergoing a resurgence.

Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., is an officer in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS). He took up his degree in zoology at the University of California, Davis, and received his doctorate from the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. Drop by this page for more on Captain Sanders’ work.