This Friday a new edition of World Health Day was celebrated and within this framework, the Argentina is in full evolution.
According to Sandra Tirado, Secretary of Access to Health in the Ministry of the Nation, “in broad terms, our country is making a epidemiological transition: from communicable diseases (such as dengue fever, pneumonia, influenza, etc.) –characteristic pathologies of low-income countries–, we are moving towards an environment where the greatest weight in public health is carried by the so-called “non-communicable diseases” (diabetes, hypertension, cancer, etc.), as well as what is recorded in the epidemiological statistics of high-income countries.
In statements related to this date, which is celebrated every April 7, Tirado explained that “in public health problems the world se divide among high-income countries, where non-communicable diseases and population aging produce a situation of prevalence of these pathologies”. On the other hand, in poor countries, communicable diseases and what affects child nutrition takes the main focus.
According to the expert, today Argentina, as a middle-income country, has a situation in which both communicable and non-communicable diseases weigh heavily. “But,” he added, “we noticed a trend towards a greater burden and increase in disease and mortality related to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and different types of cancer.”
Tirado affirmed that among the main local health problems is the demographic and epidemiological situation that leads us to have a longer life expectancy and for that reason also a higher percentage of diseases related to social habits is noted: from smoking, to the diet we eat and whether or not we do physical activity. The sum of these factors contributes to the increase in chronic pathologies (diabetes, hypertension, kidney failure, metabolic syndrome, obesity, etc.).
Of course, campaigning to prevent this group of diseases cannot make us forget about the prevention of “contagious” ones, as the recent pandemic and today the return of dengue showed. In this sense, the official explained that one of the keys is to improve vaccination and return to achieving higher coverage rates.
Another interesting aspect of this issue arises from a recently published global study, which also included Argentines. The work, which was carried out locally by the consulting firm Voices!, analyzed people’s self-perception of health issues. This year it was determined that 77% of Argentines self-perceives “healthy”. This figure, although high, causes concern since it shows a downward trend: in 2018 the same indicator indicated that 86% of Argentines claimed to have “a positive state of health.” In other words, a fall of nine points in just five years.
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