Cholera and Poverty

Theme of Poverty
Poverty is a problem that has hit various communities as the individuals cannot cater to the basic
needs. The latter refers to a situation in which one does not meet the expenses of life and is
forced to live under substandard living conditions. It is a phenomenon that has been fought by
different people by engaging in economic activities that may generate income. The poor
societies have also demonstrated the inability to engage in recreational activities besides lack of
access to proper medical care. In addition, they barely achieve enough good and appropriate
shelter, which makes them vulnerable to various types of illnesses (Chung et al. 150). The price
of poverty is unbearable and individuals find the hard time to access almost all life amenities.
For instance, the judicial processes have also proved to be expensive and only favor the rich. In a
society, the World Bank Organization has designed ways of determining the level of poverty by
checking the indicators such as vulnerability, education, social exclusion, health, and access to
services. (coudouel et al. 2002)
Poverty and General Health
Notably, the health status of people defines the condition of living they experience. Padovese et
al. state that the individuals who are prone to the effect of various diseases have shown the
inability to access better healthcare services (241). In essence, their economic conditions make
them unable to pay for the medical treatments that are of great importance for the improvement
of health. Besides, lack of engagement in recreational services makes their bodies less immune to
attack by diseases. Since poverty makes individuals unable to take part in relevant exercise
processes and regular body checks, infections may be realized at later stages. Therefore, they can
be affected by various illnesses that may be hard to prevent. Depression is also a problem that is
caused by low economic conditions; thus, may create pressures in life (Sarche and Paul 129),
which can lead to mental illness. Moreover, the general health of the poverty-stricken societies is
below par as the type of food taken does not consider balancing diet but instead aim to create
satisfaction of the stomach. Consequently, illness caused by the lack of different kinds of
vitamins and other food components may emerge (Chung et al. 145). Therefore, the health of
individuals entirely relies on the ability to meet all the basic needs that are instrumental in the
improvement of living standards.
Poverty and Cholera
Cholera has been one of the health challenges that result from the inability to afford better life
amenities. The epidemic results in watery diarrhea and dehydration that is caused by excessive
water loss. Notably, the disease is gotten from contaminated food and water (Ambrus et al. 67).
Generally, the illness has been common among the individuals living in deprived areas, for
instance, the slums. Besides, in refugee camps, the disease has been rampant as the people are
unable to get enough water to clean foodstuff before eating. According to Talavera and Ela, the
latter increases their vulnerability to the infection and it has led to many deaths among
individuals (410). In essence, one victim may contaminate water used by a more significant
population, and the epidemic spreads at a faster rate. Since the access to proper medical care also
possesses a challenge, cholera has been a major problem in societies with low economic income.
The most common and used interventions which are used against cholera is ending poverty in all
its forms, in addition to ensuring equality education and providing peaceful societies for
sustainable development.
 References:
Ambrus, Attila, Erica Field, and Robert Gonzalez. Loss in the Time of Cholera: Long-run Impact
of a Disease Epidemic on the Urban Landscape. Working Paper, 2015.
Chung, Esther K., et al. "Screening for social determinants of health among children and families
living in poverty: a guide for clinicians." Current problems in pediatric and adolescent
health care 46.5 (2016): 135-153.
Padovese, Valeska, Raffaele Di Palma, and Concetta Mirisola. "Poverty and health
disparities." Respiratory Epidemiology: ERS Monograph 65 (2014): 241.
Sarche, Michelle, and Paul Spicer. "Poverty and health disparities for American Indian and
Alaska Native children." Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1136.1 (2008):
126-136.
Talavera, Arturo, and Ela M. Perez. "Is cholera disease associated with poverty?." The Journal of
Infection in Developing Countries 3.06 (2009): 408-411.