So we just had a fascinating lecture about Global Child Health and Nutrition. The two are inextricably linked, and a number of diseases and disabilities are tied to malnutrition. But also to infrastructure deficiencies such as lack of clean drinking water and electricity. Now one might say – “well that’s government’s role to fund and develop adequate infrastructure for its’ citizens and their reluctance to do so just shows that they don’t want to help themselves.” While I don’t agree with that statement in totality – especially the assertion that governments in sub-saharan Africa do not want to help their citizens – I can agree with parts of it. A researcher recently brought to light the “3/97” problem. There are at least two categories of research when it comes to therapies for simple diseases: efficacy and deployment/use. Improvements in efficacy are said to represent the potential(in Africa) of saving 22% more lives, and receive 97% of NIH funding focused on such improvements. Improvements in deployment and use of developed technology meanwhile receives only 3% of NIH funding while promising potential (in Africa) of saving 63% more lives. Unfortunately for Africans, this results in an inability to get meaningful and proven medical and infrastructure interventions to where they need to go. It is also unfortunate for us. On a domestic level – we have a major problem with health care costs in this country, and have to date been unable to rein them in. The American medical system is the tail wagging the dog. We face the same exact problem – deployment and infrastructure – as subsaharan Africa does. Educational infrastructure, and techonological infrastructure as well as health care infrastructure in both is drastically deficient. Spending to improve the deployment of simple measures such as childhood immunization, early testing and intervention for chronic non-communicable diseases such as in America will benefit many children, but also our economy – both by providing a steady stream of non-exportable jobs, and by lessening incidence of communicable disease and therefore health care costs. The same goes for Africa. And it is here where we realize the next dimension of our choices in research focuses. Researching things that will actually change not only our world and the world of countries that not only need us but are looking for help builds allies. Strategically, Africa is the place we need to have an absolute grip on in terms of the feelings about democracy and the United States. If Africa continues to experience the level of despair, exploitation, and global disenfranchisement that is has, it will begin to become a security risk for the rest of the world. Doing things that have the most bang for their buck in terms of foreign aid will work to build our standing internationally. Currently I think the strategies that are warranted in terms of foreign aid to Africa involve water. Fresh water. If we can ensure fresh water to more areas of Africa we enable them to feed themselves, and improve sanitation and hygiene.
But we also secure an area that is soon to be a contentious one – water rights and resources. In America we waste billions of gallons of water. We’ve destroyed fresh water rivers, lakes, and streams. We’ve done this in multiple ways, but at this point we need a sensible water policy. Otherwise we will soon have to deal with the drought and inhospitable environment, famine, and lack of adequate access to sanitation that many parts of Africa have.
Let me know what you think…it’s only a draft, I still need to cite some sources, etc…but it’s a start too…
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