Answers to Questions (Coursework Sample)

QUIZ ONE TO MODULE ONE by Student’s name Code+ course name Professor’s name University name City, State Date Quiz One to Module One 1. While biodiversity loss has numerous adverse effects on human life, its impact on health is one of the most notable areas of concern. One of the ways biodiversity loss affects human health is by upsetting life-sustaining ecosystems. Historically, different species have been used in the pharmacological sector. However, the loss of biodiversity directly impacts human well-being as it means that plant and animal species are lost before being discovered (Tong et al. 2021). Currently, only 10% of the earth’s species have been exploited for pharmacological purposes, and only 1% of the species have been discovered (Adebayo 2019). This aspect has an undesirable impact on pharmaceutical development as flora and fauna provide extensive benefits in this sector through enhancing a thorough understanding of the ecosystems. In an era of emerging and reemerging healthcare conditions, biodiversity loss threatens the discovery of new drugs and effective methods to control both communicable and non-communicable health conditions. In addition, biodiversity loss has a direct impact on human nutrition. Historically, humans have depended on plant and animal species for food. However, biodiversity loss has upset the food production systems, thus endangering the world’s nutritional status and population, especially in areas with the poorest habitats. Fish provide approximately 16% of the world’s protein sources; however, many aquatic species have died out due to biodiversity loss (Adebayo 2019). Similarly, wild plant and animal species that have been serving as alternative nutrition sources are becoming extinct. Notably, biodiversity directly impacts access to clean water and fresh air. In 2016, an estimated 829,000 people died of water-related conditions globally (Tong et al. 2021). As the pollution levels continue to rise, the earth’s purifying capacity is decreasing as the ecosystems become destroyed (Chivian & Bernstein 2010, p. 6). This evidence points to the link between biodiversity loss and human health. 2. The loss of biodiversity is caused by various factors. One of the primary causes is the expansion of the world’s population. Since the 1800s, the world’s population has increased to more than seven billion, exacerbating biodiversity loss (Barrett, Charles & Temte 2015). The population growth has led to the mounting pressure on the land use, creating the need to increase food production. In today’s world, much of the land has been converted to cities and farmlands. Clearing of forested land to accommodate human activities such as construction and farming has led to the loss of millions of plant and animal species, dooming some of them to extinction. Another notable driver of biodiversity loss is pollution and associated global warming and climate change. A UN report identified pollution along with the associated climate change as the leading causes of biodiversity loss (Fuller et al. 2022). In addition, global warming and climate change have also contributed to increasing temperatures, which threaten the survival of different plant and animal species while increasing the passiveness of others. Climate change has also contributed to unpredictable weather conditions and increased extreme events. These changes have led to the loss of numerous species on the earth’s surface, hence another contributory factor to biodiversity loss. 3. Various factors are responsible for the decline in the crude death rate in stage two of the demographic transition. The most common factor is the general improvements in human health and well-being. In this second stage, the society has undergone significant advances in healthcare, leading to higher healthcare utilization, specifically in pediatric care (Dastrup & Huston 2020). Improved access and utilization of healthcare services positively impact the management of various health conditions, translating into improved quality of life and a reduction in mortality. In addition, improved healthcare leads to higher life expectancy in the most vulnerable groups. While the death rate is reducing, the birth rate remains relatively high. Eventually, this situation leads to a decrease in the crude death rate. Another factor contributing to the reduction in the crude death rate is wealth growth in society. For instance, in Europe, the industrial revolution was one of the leading factors responsible for the decline in death rates in stage two of the demographic transition. The industrial revolution created various technological advances improving food production and supply (Dastrup & Huston 2020). These advances meant that people had access to more financial and non-financial resources that could be channeled into sanitation, education, and personal hygiene. With these resources, governments can undertake health improvement projects such as installing sewer lines, dramatically reducing water-borne diseases such as cholera, which are the leading cause of diseases in the previous stage (Dastrup & Huston 2020). In addition, wealth growth contributes to the improvement of other aspects, such as education and gender equality. In turn, it leads to an improvement in life quality and a reduction in death rates. While life expectancy is increasing, the death rate is continues reducing. Altogether, these factors contribute to a decline in the crude death rate. 4. Although there are different types of study designs, descriptive and experimental descriptive studies are the most common ones. Descriptive epidemiological studies are invaluable in understanding epidemiological data as they seek to understand patterns by examining such characteristics as time, place, and time. When examining a person, these studies look at aspects such as the demographic characteristics, including age, sex, occupation, and the socioeconomic status. The place characteristic examines spatial relationships essential in describing the occurrence of the illness, such as the rural-urban status and neighborhood. In contrast, the time characteristic examines the “what” and “when” of the illness, namely the onset of the disease and aspects such as the point of the source epidemic, temporal clustering, and secular trends. Epidemiological studies are used to assess the trends in diseases and illnesses. In addition, these studies inform the process of problem identification and hypothesis formulation. In their totality, descriptive epidemiological studies are useful in identifying patterns in person, time, and place. In contrast, experimental epidemiological studies seek to investigate the relationships between various factors and diseases. The main difference between descriptive epidemiological studies and experimental epidemiological studies is that the latter embrace the experimental method to verify the validity of the hypothesis. When conducting these studies, the investigators use a controlled process to examine an individual’s exposure and follow these people throughout the study, determining the impact of this exposure. In the experimental design, a study and control groups are used to ascertain the relationship. Thus, while descriptive epidemiological studies identify patterns, experimental epidemiological studies assess the relationships between factors and determine the distribution of diseases. 5. The incubation and infectious periods are essential in understanding how diseases spread. The incubation period refers to the period between a person’s exposure to a disease until the time when the symptoms begin to appear. It is also known as the subclinical period during which a person does not show any symptoms, although they have been exposed to the organism causing the disease. In contrast, the infectious period is the period during which an infected person can pass the disease to others. Similar to the incubation period, the duration of the infectious period varies from one disease to another and can start before the onset of the symptoms. During the infectious period, the disease can spread directly or indirectly, mostly through contact with the infected person, air-borne, or through bodily fluids. The main difference between the two terms is that patients are asymptomatic during the incubation period but show symptoms during the infectious period. In addition, the disease cannot be spread during the incubation period but is highly contagious during the infectious period. Another difference is that the condition may not be detectable during the incubation period, especially if one is not aware of the exposure to an infection. However, most diseases are detected during the infectious period, especially because the symptoms are present. 6. Infectious and chronic degenerative diseases are the most common health conditions affecting individuals. Infectious diseases are caused by bacteria and viruses. As the name suggests, these diseases can be spread from one person to another through the air as in flu, insect bites as in malaria, and ingestion of contaminated food or water as in typhoid. A recent example of an infectious disease is COVID-19, . This respiratory condition is the result of the novel coronavirus, which is an infectious agent. When a person comes into contact with this agent, they enter the incubation period and start exhibiting symptoms. The virus is highly contagious and, without effective management, leads to death. Infectious diseases typically have a shorter incubation period as the colonization occurs rather fast, pointing to the need for stringent preventive measures to curb their spread. In contrast, chronic degenerative conditions are not infectious and cannot be spread from one person to another. In addition, it is essential to note that some of these diseases are hereditary. Fundamentally, these are health condi...