World Diseases (SQA National 5 Geography): Revision Note

Distribution of World Diseases

• There are significant health inequalities between developing and developed countries

• A key indicator which demonstrates this is life expectancy

• Life expectancy tends to be higher in developed countries than in developing countries

• People all over the world are affected by various diseases that impact their health

• Diseases can be divided into:

  • Infectious diseases (also known as communicable diseases)

    • These are more prevalent in developing countries

  • Non-infectious diseases (also known as non-communicable diseases)

    • These are more prevalent in developed countries

• Some infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, are prevalent in both developing and developed countries

• Middle-income countries such as Brazil tend to struggle with both infectious and non-infectious diseases at the same time

Communicable diseases

• These are spread by people or vectors

• Examples include:

  • Malaria

  • Cholera

  • Kwashikorkor

  • Pneumonia

  • HIV/AIDS

• Developed countries have been very effective in reducing infectious diseases, so they tend to be more prevalent in developing countries

• Reasons for this include:

  • Poor access to clean water and sanitation

  • Limited healthcare services

  • Poor diet and malnutrition

  • Warm climates with more flies and mosquitoes that spread diseases

• People living in developing countries are far more likely to die from a communicable disease than a non-communicable disease

Non-communicable diseases

• These are long-term health conditions that are not spread by people or vectors

• Examples include:

  • Heart Disease

  • Cancer

  • Asthma

• Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death globally

  • They killed at least 43 million people in 2021

• They are more prevalent in developed countries

• Reasons for this include:

  • Higher proportions of elderly people

  • Unhealthy lifestyles with limited exercise

  • Poor diets that are high in sugar, salt and fat

  • Smoking and alcohol consumption

• Despite being more prevalent in developed countries, non-communicable diseases are more likely to cause premature deaths in developing countries

  • This is due to better healthcare in developed countries, which supports early diagnosis and effective treatment

• However, they account for a larger percentage of deaths in developed countries, which experience comparatively low rates of communicable diseases