You are not wrong if you agree with COVID-19 being the worst health issues humanity has faced in 2020. In America alone, approximately 28 million people got infected by this deadly virus, whereas the infection toll was over 110 million people around the globe.
Coronavirus has entirely shaken the advancement of technology and challenged the world’s health systems about their evolution and infection control strategies. Fortunately, now, in 2021, various countries have successfully formulated the vaccine for COVID-19, and finally, things are getting back to normal.
Hence, now rather than focusing on the same disease this year as well, it is high time to discuss some other major health issues as well. These issues not only required to be highlighted but also need proactive approaches to be resolved effectively. Of course, Coronavirus is still topping the list, let’s see what other major health concern the world is facing in 2021:
- COVID-19
- HIV/AIDS
- Food Safety
- Cardiac Disorders
- Mental Health Issues
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI)
- Substance and Alcohol Abuse
- Overdose of Prescription Drugs
- Road Accidents
- Child Obesity, Malnutrition, and Lack Of Physical Activity
COVID-19
Thankfully, due to the prevalence of vaccination since August 2021, a lot of improvement has been observed in terms of relaxation in lockdown and precautionary measures. Nonetheless, COVID-19 is the most significant health issue discussed worldwide, due to its diverse strains and recombinants that might be a hazard in the future.
HIV/AIDS and Health issues
A recent report by WHO states that approximately, 33 million people died due to HIV/AIDS since the epidemic broke out. Still, the number of people infected by this virus is millions in numbers. 14% of Americans don’t know that they are suffering from AIDS, and do not require testing as well. Almost 1.2 million Americans are living with this life-threatening disorder.
Food Safety
Consumption of contaminated food is the cause behind the sickness of 1 in 6 Americans each year. CDC is within with FDA to improve food safety standards to save 3,000 precious lives that are eaten up by food-borne diseases in America annually. On one hand, food-borne diseases are increasing in number that on the other hand, rises up the demand for food inspectors and food safety officers. For the ones who want to begin a career in it, you have a vast scope, go ahead!
Cardiac Disorder (Heart Diseases)
Heart disorders are the top health concerns for doctors and health care staff in the modern-day. According to a recent report of the American Heart Association, heart diseases are the major cause of death around the globe. After the Coronavirus pandemic, the matter has worsened further, now, the risk of cardiac disease has been raised exponentially.
Mental Health Issues
Mental health is one of the most emerging concerns of the 21st century that has been alleviated alarming during this pandemic. Loneliness, lack of social interaction, remote work, uncertainty, recession, remote work, and fear of coronavirus killing everyone are some of the most significant causes of mental health decline worldwide. 70% of teens are struggling with severe mental health issues, while 60% of adults and youth are not able to acquire appropriate mental heal treatments, stated in a recent report by Forbes.
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI)
Healthcare-Associated Infections as the name suggest are the group of infectious diseases patients get during medical treatments. Generally, HAI is caused by the use of contaminated equipment, such as ventilators, surgical tools, or catheters. CDC states that almost 1 in 3 three patients show up with a healthcare-associated infection every day in America.
Substance and Alcohol Abuse
Substance abuse was one of the hottest health concerns before COVID-19. Even during the lockdown, its percentage increased to 18% according to the most recent report of Forbes. You must have heard the news of Comedian John Mulaney who checked into the rehab center in December 2020. Mental health issues and substance abuse go side by side, CDC’s report tells us that 40 percent of adult Americans are struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues.
Overdose of Prescription Drugs health issues
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, just like mental health issues and substance abuse, prescription drug overdose has also been alleviated drastically. Since 1999, over 750,000 people have died due to opioid abuse alone. Interestingly, 2 in 3 drug deaths due to drug overdose are basically caused by opioid consumption.
You would have known about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announcing the opioid epidemic as a public health emergency in 2017. Since then, there are several strategies and theories have been proposed to combat the issue, still, a lot of work needs to be done.
Road Accidents
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that vehicle safety, drunk and drive, and distracted driving are some of the major health concerns in 2021. To combat this problem, better vehicle safety measures, wearing helmets, fastening of seat belts, avoiding drinking and phone usage while driving and other traffic policies are being improved.
Child Obesity, Malnutrition, and Lack Of Physical Activity
CDC reports that obesity affects 13.7 million children and 93.3 million American adults. Child obesity, malnutrition, and lack of physical activities are some of the reasons for a compromised immune system in individuals. And this issue was also highlighted and emphasized upon during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Conclusion about health issues
It’s time to focus on all the major health issues in 2021 along with Corona Virus in order to hope for a better future ahead. Precaution is always better than cure after all!
Over 50 million. Interestingly, the formation of the COVID-19 Vaccine was compared with HIV. Everyone was promising to deliver swift results but general people and even experts have a perception that the COVID vaccine will not be launched that soon just like the HIV vaccine. Fortunately, COVID Vaccine has been introduced almost in all parts of the world and we hope HIV Vaccine will also make its way to the general public in the near future.
Food Safety
Contaminated food is the reason for over 3,000 deaths in the USA annually. On average, 1 in 6 Americans gets diseased due to dirty food. CDC ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) works with FDA in order to diagnose and track foodborne illnesses and try to maintain the standard of healthy food with appropriate safety measures.