Communicable Diseases Common in Developing Countries

Mortality Rates

Deaths associated with communicable diseases account for high rates of premature loss of life. While communicable diseases cause 51 percent of deaths globally based on years of life lost (in young populations), only 8 percent of death in high-income countries is based on premature death, compared to 68 percent in low-income countries. Reliability of statistical data varies widely between high-income and low-income countries, with results from high-income countries valid to plus or minus 1 percent, and results in low-income countries at approximately plus or minus 15–20 percent. The reliability of statistical data in low-income countries is a result of underreporting, suggesting that mortality rates for communicable diseases may be much higher than indicated.

Transmission

Communicable diseases are transmitted from person to person, either through direct contact or contact with infected secretions or discharge. While some diseases, such as measles and pertussis, have a short incubation period and easily detectable symptoms, other diseases produce vague, nonspecific symptoms and some show no sign of infection. The diseases that show little to no sign of infection are those most capable of rapid transmission through a population. Influenza, for instance, is a widespread communicable disease that typically presents itself in symptoms subsequent to the person becoming contagious. Children are more likely to transmit influenza than adults, with incubation periods beginning Days before symptoms and lasting up to two weeks after infection. Influenza can be transmitted airborne, through direct contact with a host, or from contaminated surfaces. Influenza outbreaks in developing countries can lead to a significant rise in transmission and death due to overpopulation and poor sanitation facilities, as well as a lack of resources to treat the large number of people suffering from the virus.

Other communicable diseases can become serious, lifelong battles. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus leading to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), has become a global concern. Since the documentation of Patient Zero in 1980, HIV/AIDS has infected over 70 million people worldwide, with over half of those cases resulting in death. An estimated 34 million people around the world are currently infected with the virus, with half of them being women and 10 percent children. Because of the lack of symptoms during the early stages of HIV/AIDS, its transmission can go undetected and spread through populations. HIV/AIDS is transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids, most commonly through unprotected sexual intercourse and needle-sharing typically associated with illegal drug use. Other modes of transmission, such as mother-to-fetus transmission and blood transfusions, are more prevalent in developing countries where lack of awareness and medical care fail to diagnose infected individuals, resulting in higher rates of transmission.

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