Malnutrition and diarrhea is a combo that hurts the poor

Bob Ewing---How far does the affects of hunger stretch; what are the conditions or diseases associated with a poor diet, malnutrition or starvation? First, let us take a closer look at a condition we have some familiarity with, diarrhea.

Diarrhea, not a word, we usually hear in daily conversation; however, many of us have experienced it. Perhaps, our frequent, urgent dashes to the nearest bathroom were the result of too much beer and hot wings or pizza the night before, possibly, the flu is flushing our system. For most of us in North America, diarrhea is a condition that will pass within a day or two; elsewhere diarrhea takes on a more sinister nature.

[caption id="attachment_15513" align="alignnone" width="200"] A woman is filling a bowl with a dirty, undrinkable water at Boromata's well. The Vakaga region, close to Sudan, suffers from a high incidence of environmental diseases. Rate of diarrhea, which was found to be high amongst children under 5, affects up to 50% of children per week.
Date 18 June 2007, 07:21[/caption]

According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary, diarrhea is "An abnormally frequent discharge of semisolid or fluid fecal matter from the bowel." Dehydration often accompanies diarrhea, especially if drinkable water is not near by or we, for whatever reason, do not consume enough to replace what we have loss.

Severe diarrhea may be life-threatening; young children and people who are malnourished or have impaired immunity are at the greatest risk.
The World Health Organization states: “Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of death among children under five globally. More than one in ten child deaths – about 800 000 each year – is due to diarrhoea. Today, only 44% of children with diarrhoea in low-income countries receive the recommended treatment, and limited trend data suggest that there has been little progress since 2000.”

A study published , May 2011, in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal found: “An average of 369 diarrhea-associated deaths/year (3320 total deaths) occurred among US children 1 to 59 months of age during 1992-1998 and 2005-2006. The diarrhea-associated death rate increased 40% between the first 3 and last 2 years of the study period, from an average of 1.6 deaths per 100,000 to 2.3 deaths per 100,000.”

Malnutrition and diarrhea are linked because; for example, when a child is malnourished he or she is more susceptible to diarrhea, causing more frequent and more severe diarrheal episodes.

To complicate the situation further, when a child suffers a bout of diarrhea, the illness saps nutrients that young bodies desperately need. This becomes a vicious cycle that, unless, broken, often leads to death.

Sanitation and the state of the local water supply play a major role in this cycle, the next article will examine why and begin a look at what can be done and is being done to provide clean drinking water, where it is needed, around the world.

Does surviving the Zombie Apocalypse mean going green?

Samantha Torrence--The Zombie Apocalypse is nearing and survival is the first concern in everyone’s mind.  Are you prepared?  And are you green enough?

Sure you have your regulation Zombie killing weapons, but besides the flame throwers, boomsticks, and machetes what else would you need to survive? After all there is not going to be just a constant wave of zombies to defeat like in a video game so in the downtime you will need to eat, sleep, and get ready for more. When the system collapses, trade ceases, power grids fail, and money becomes obsolete, how are you going to feed and clothe yourself?

If you look around your home,  you have all the convenience of modern life.  How much of the technology in your home that gives you those conveniences would become useless if power infrastructures failed? Would your gas or electric stove work? Would your computer power up? These are questions you need consider as you make a survival plan. What appliances and pieces of technology would you like to keep in a post-apocalyptic world? Things like radios, computers, cooking stoves, heating sources and the like would be essential to keep even a semblance of the quality of life you are used to. You will also need a tactical advantage against the zombie horde this is where radio transmitters, radios, and motion lights would be superb. Perhaps while you still can it would be useful to purchase a wind turbine or solar panels with a power storage and converter for your home. You can even make them yourself if you are handy.  It will not only help you keep appliances powered when the grid fails, but while the grid is in place it will help you with your bill and you can even sell energy back to the power plants.  This would also be a good time to replace any gas run appliances with electric, after all natural gas lines will not be full forever.

Electricity may be the initial choice for preservation, but what about a water supply? Unless your community survives enough to come together and create a defense, that water tower in your area is not going to remain full. Also the water purification system will not be functional. Most people are not used to the bacteria in the natural water supply and ingesting that water would lead to sickness. Learning how to filter your own water for cooking and drinking is essential for survival.

Do you know how to make flour? How about cooking oil? Eating will become mighty dull while trade is at a minimum and you cannot get prepackaged and ready-to-eat foods from the local grocery store.  Storing canned goods is a first step during the initial Zombie wave but eventually you will have to acclimate to old world style cooking. Maybe it is time to visit your grandparents and learn how to can and cook, or even look up these essentials online. For an idea of all you will need to learn to make first look at the ingredients in making just a loaf of bread. Then ask yourself how you will get each ingredient if there are no more stores.  No matter what happens you will need to learn to eat locally. Take this time before worldwide doom to find out what local plants and animals are in your area and how hunt and gather. Even now it is a good idea to get into this habit. Think of all the money you could save on groceries if you hunted for your own food and even made a garden in your back yard.

Clearly surviving the Zombie Apocalypse is going to be about more than just your weaponry, it is going to be about learning to live in a local and self-sufficient way. People will have to relearn old arts like blacksmithing, glass blowing, tailoring, candle making, soap making and farming.  Learning how to live in a localized community is what “going green” is all about. It isn’t about the EPA get rich schemes, or clean air acts, it is about merging the low impact self-sufficient way of life from the per-industrial era and the modern technology that has given us access to great medical care and knowledge of how to keep ourselves healthy through clean living.

Take this time before the Zombie Apocalypse to learn a craft and how to do the everyday housework that people living in super powered countries have forsaken.