The case of pneumonia, the silent killer of the poor, shows us that escaping poverty is the real cure for all the diseases of the poor, be it pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, or diarrhea. However, escaping poverty can not be achieved solely through healthcare interventions per se, but by enabling people to become well fed and well nourished, to have stronger immune defenses against diseases and to have the means to become educated, maintain sanitation, and pay for preventive healthcare such as bed nets and vaccinations. Breaking the cycle of poverty will prove to be a major factor in stopping the spread of disease.
But does this mean that all money should be diverted to poverty eradication? Not so fast.
As eradicating poverty is the key to a healthy world, we can make the case that most development aid must be directed to the current poverty eradication initiatives. Unforunately, even though $2.3 trillion has been spent on aid, poverty remains an ever-present problem in the world today. Thus, the history of the poverty eradication efforts todate suggests that this may not be the best decision.
Millions would die without bed nets for malaria, retroviral treatment for HIV, and the very antibiotics needed to cure pneumonia. These human disasters kill more people than all natural disasters combined - money is desperately needed for treatment and prevention. However, these will not stop the problem. In conjunction with these intervensions, eradicating poverty must be pursued.
It was found that awareness of acute respiratory infections was very low in comparison to other diseases, perhaps representing the lack of funding going towards this disease. On the other hand, awareness of poverty and poverty eradication is quite high. A quick search on Google.com or Yahoo.com for keywords such as "Poverty", "Poverty Fund", "Poverty Micro Credit", or "Poverty Information Technology" reveals millions and millions of results.
Aid for development had existed for decades, but poverty still exists in the world today. Perhaps the tools being used to fight poverty are the wrong ones?
If current solutions aren't working, should these initiatives be stopped? Stopping ongoing poverty eradication efforts would not be wise unless other, alternative solutions are thought of and then implemented. In the same way that we must continue health initiatives to prevent human disasters, we must also continue poverty eradication efforts, especially those involving feeding the hungry and those tangible things that help the poor. Without them, many more lives would be lost.
Today, many things have been tested in order to alleviate poverty. Simply giving medicine, and giving food and clean drinking water, is not self-sustaining. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. A long term solution for pneumonia, for lower respiratory infections, for HIV/AIDS, for any world killer, for poverty must be found. Those who have access to medicine are unable to buy it when needed because of their impoverished conditions. Even if they are cured once, they will become sick once again because of unsanitary conditions – because of the lack of something as simple as food. By eliminating poverty, the very reason for disease existing in the developing world would be removed.
This does not mean that money should not be put into short term and very important solutions to treat and prevent global killer diseases that kill millions of people. But long-term solutions must also be sought. We must also ensure that diseases such as pneumonia are not left behind. UNICEF has called pneumonia the silent killer of children because that is what it is - a global killer which has not been given the attention it needs.
While diseases may affect the poor and their productivity, people are not poor solely because of disease. People are poor because they cannot create their own wealth, the same wealth that is needed to keep them healthy. Those with money eat well, live well, and purchase their own bednets and medicine. While short term strategies will alleviate sickness, they will not get the poor out of poverty. When poverty is eradicated, the eradication of disease will surely follow. It is, after all, the United Nations #1 Millennium Development Goal – Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Michael G (14) and Patrick G (12), Doors to Diplomacy 2007