Introduction
Many young children from tropical areas keep migrating to temperate countries. The pediatricians practicing in these locations are increasingly interested in tropical diseases and have developed expertise in treating tropical diseases. They focus on the overall health of these poorer children. The pediatric societies in these internationally evolved countries focus on developing practices that help the health and fitness of poor children from tropical countries. All the experts caring for the young children of tropical areas must be aware of all the problems and health issues related to tropical areas.
What Is the Main Cause of Tropical Diseases?
Tropical diseases usually hit children of tropical countries, and when they migrate to temperate areas, they are treated for tropical diseases by the concerned pediatrician. Tropical diseases are caused more by poverty and not infections. The people of tropical areas need to follow the healthcare and necessities for a healthy lifestyle. The pediatrician who deals with tropical diseases has to deal with poverty and emphasize preventive medicine.
What Are the Major Pediatric Health Issues in Tropical Countries?
There are issues in tropical countries that are related to poor healthcare and children becoming more prone to infections. The basic issues that are related to healthcare in tropical countries include:
Poverty: This is the major problem related to delivering good healthcare to children of tropical countries. The government should spend more on the healthcare of these poor people. More than half of the population of tropical countries still need primary healthcare. The necessities of pediatric health, such as clean water and vaccinations, are also not available for the children of tropical countries.
Pediatricians who are concerned with treating these children should deal with poverty and health issues related to tropical countries. Pediatricians should take part in improving these countries' healthcare and educating more people about the healthcare system. Approximately 3 million children in tropical countries suffer from acute respiratory infections. Deaths related to neglect in the healthcare system in tropical countries have been reduced because of the training of healthcare workers in tropical countries.
Preventive Care: Curative care is less effective than preventive measures such as good nutrition, hygiene, and vaccination. The exotic diseases that pediatricians treat occupy them more than their real concerns, which are the healthcare needs of tropical nations. Pediatricians require patience to deal with tropical medicines.
Bridging Barrier: Pediatricians with tropical diseases face language barriers while treating patients. In Central America, significant populations refer to certain illnesses as hot or cold. The doctor dealing with patients should be aware that each class of the disease the patient refers to has a different treatment. The doctor should have knowledge about this for better diagnosis and treatment plan.
What Are the Most Common Pediatric Tropical Diseases?
1. Malaria: More than 40% of the children in tropical countries are affected by malaria. Plasmodium falciparum is the most common pathogen causing malaria in children. This has a high chance of developing resistance to the antimalarial treatment. P. falciparum is most commonly affecting children living in Africa. In the tropical areas of Asia and America, the pathogen most responsible for causing malaria is P.vivax. The infection is caused infected female anopheles mosquito. The symptomatic infection is not very common. The infected patients develop immunity against the disease, so a person infected several times has a lower chance of developing a lethal disease.
Symptoms: The patient who gets infected by any pathogen develops febrile illness. The symptoms do not develop for 1 to 3 weeks after a mosquito bite. They affect the liver's hepatocytes and can remain dormant in the liver for months and years. Symptoms develop after the rupture of red blood cells and the release of merozoites. Patients develop fever and headache. Chills are present with intermittent fever. Bone and joint pain is common, and symptoms also include vomiting and diarrhea.
Treatment: Chloroquine treats various pathogens causing malaria, including P. ovale, P. falciparum, and P. vivax. Parental administration of chloroquine has side effects such as neurotoxicity and even can cause death.
2. Diarrhea: The children of pre-school age in tropical countries usually suffer from 2 to 3 episodes of severe diarrhea each year. Approximately 4% of children die due to diarrheal illness. Bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections cause the diarrhea. The leading cause of diarrhea is usually associated with unhygienic living conditions, and children who are breastfed are less likely to have diarrhea than children fed with artificial milk. Malnourished children have frequent diarrheas.
Treatment: The treatment of children suffering from diarrhea is focused on preventing dehydration and rehydrating the child. The sodium and water absorption is impaired in diarrheal illness. Studies have confirmed the efficacy of oral rehydration in diarrhea.
3. Malnutrition: This is the most common disease seen in tropical countries. The main cause is hookworm and iron deficiency. Marasmus is caused when there is a deficiency of calories in the diet. Any chronic disease leads to a deficiency of nutrition, resulting in marasmus. Poverty is one of the causes of lack of nutrition in the body. Handicapped children who can not feed themselves also lack adequate calorie intake.
Treatment: Approximately 30% of the children suffer from malnutrition in tropical countries. The benefits of hospitalization should be more than the side effects, such as nosocomial infection. Any associated diseases or infections related to marasmus should be treated. Adequate nutritional supply should be supplemented to the affected children to compensate for any calorie deficiency leading to marasmus or kwashiorkor.
Conclusion
Tropical diseases are more about poverty than treating exotic infections. Pediatricians treating children from tropical countries should deal with poverty and remove barriers to language to understand, diagnose, and treat the disease. Malaria, malnutrition, and diarrhea are the most common diseases affecting these children. Education regarding preventive measures and care for hygienic living and proper nutrition should be given to the people. Treatment of P. falciparum, P. ovale, and P.vivax should be readily available. Early diagnosis and treatment of malnourished children can prevent mortality and morbidity in children.
