Disease In Honduras Essay

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Poor health is not only an effect of poverty, but one of its root causes. This is particularly true for Central America’s second-poorest country, Honduras, where 62.8 percent of the population lives in poverty.

Without access to affordable health care, a lack of clean water and sanitation methods and a shortage of health centers, Honduras’ poor are most susceptible to becoming ill.

But what are the top diseases in Honduras?

Diabetes.
Diabetes is the second-leading cause of death amongst Hondurans and occurs when a person’s pancreas fails to make enough insulin or does not use insulin correctly. As a result, people who suffer from diabetes often experience an increase in exhaustion, hunger, thirst, urination and weight loss.

For the 3.6 million Hondurans who live in rural areas, diabetes is a severe problem. While it is an arguably treatable disease in first-world countries, diabetes can be fatal for those who do not live near clinics with adequate testing methods or for those who do not live near clinics at all. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reveals that in Latin America, diabetes is rarely diagnosed early and is
Cerebrovascular disease causes 6.1 percent of mortalities in Honduras and refers to any condition that restricts blood flow to the brain, such as stroke, embolism or aneurysm. Ischemia includes coronary heart or artery diseases that usually result in heart attack.

Those who smoke, have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or are obese are at higher risk of developing a cerebrovascular or ischemic disorder. This is especially concerning for Honduras, where the World Bank reports seeing a rise in overweight individuals eating high-fat diets with decreased levels of physical activity.

Lower respiratory diseases and influenza.
According to an NIH study, respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia, are the primary cause of death among children five-years-old or younger living in rural

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