Prevention & Treatment of Disease (DP IB Geography): Revision Note

Prevention & Treatment of Disease

Prevention and treatment

• Healthcare systems differ across the world

  • Some countries focus on prevention, whilst others focus on treatment

• Preventative Healthcare involves preventing the disease from manifesting or spreading

  • General avoidance of disease contraction and spread

  • Quick detection of diseases to improve recovery 

  • Anticipating disease to stop further development 

  • Examples include yearly flu jabs or cancer screenings

• The advantages of preventative healthcare include:

  • It helps to spot or diagnose some diseases early e.g. cervical cancer screening

    • This can lead to recovery as diseases haven't progressed

  • It can be cheap and easy to distribute e.g. education and health campaigns

  • It stops the spread of disease before it becomes dangerous

• Curative Healthcare involves the treatment of a disease post-infection 

  • Very effective with the correct resources e.g. hospitals and medical staff

  • Examples include antibiotics or chemotherapy 

  • Curative healthcare is more common globally

• The advantages of curative healthcare include:

  • Entirely getting rid of a disease or illness instead of just reducing the severity

  • Supports recovery from a disease 

• Primary healthcare combines both prevention and treatment strategies

Social Marginalization Issues

• Social marginalisation is the exclusion of certain groups in society 

• Marginalised people may not be able to access or afford healthcare

  • This is particularly a problem where healthcare isn’t free

• Immigrants may not be able to register themselves with healthcare providers easily 

• Poorer people are typically more at risk of Diseases of Poverty 

  • Many Diseases of Poverty are preventable diseases e.g. measles or polio 

  • Disease prevention is an ideal strategy e.g. vaccinations for measles and polio 

• If education rates are lower, disease prevention may not be as effective

  • Curative strategies would therefore be a better option

Government Priorities

• Governments may prioritise curative healthcare

• This may negatively impact ‘\people who need preventative treatment

  • Governments could improve by ensuring their focus and priority is on the provision of preventative healthcare for people who need it most 

• During endemics or pandemics, governments must minimise disease spread and develop preventative or curative treatments

• In many cases, the cost of health strategies can influence government choices

  • Some treatment options are significantly more expensive than preventative measures

• Governments may analyse how risky a disease may be

  • If the effects of the disease are not concerning, cheaper prevention methods may be adopted

  • E.g. there are all sorts of flu strains that come around each year

  • The UK offers regular preventative flu jabs for free or at a low price

Means of Infection

• The means of infection can affect whether preventative or curative strategies are chosen 

• Communicable diseases are contagious diseases, therefore prevention is vital 

  • With curative treatment, millions of people will contract the disease and be at risk of serious health issues or even death, before a cure is found 

• Non-communicable diseases may also benefit from preventative measures e.g. improving diets can reduce the risk of heart disease or high blood pressure

  • However, in much of the developing world, curative strategies already exist for many non-communicable diseases

• If a new/unknown disease appeared, curative measures would be the only real option 

• If a disease spreads very quickly, then it would be too late for preventative measures

• Some diseases in high quantities would need primary healthcare e.g. malaria 

• Prevention of disease could waste money e.g. screenings without disease discovery 

  • Money could be funnelled into better curative medicine for people already suffering

Scientific Intervention

• Without scientific intervention, many prevention and treatment options wouldn’t be available

• Science has contributed to the creation of:

  • Preventative measures like vaccines for smallpox and hepatitis

  • Curative measures like radiation therapy for cancer

• Scientific intervention and advice are vital for deciding which healthcare approach to adopt

  • Scientific intervention may guide government policies on global approaches e.g. to pandemics

  • Scientific bodies associated with charities and other non-governmental organisations may put pressure on governments to follow a particular strategy

• Countries with more investment in scientific and healthcare sectors will be able to provide more curative and preventative treatment