Chronic Disease Burden; Cancer and Diabetes among Syrian Refugees (Essay Sample)

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Chronic Disease Burden; Cancer and Diabetes among Syrian Refugees
Globally, an estimated 70% of deaths occur as a result of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, cancers, and chronic respiratory illness. The increasing trends of mortality rates due to non-communicable diseases are distributed disproportionately according to low, middle-income countries (LMICs) and developed countries. Syria is a low, middle-income country, and the presence of war since 2011 in the country has affected all its systems and more the health care systems. The displacements of people due to conflicts have been high, and similarly, the rates of non-communicable disease have risen where 45% of deaths in the country is a result of NCDs. In 2017 it was estimated that over 5.4 million people were refugees due to Syria conflicts. Among these, only a few have managed to seek asylum in North America and European countries. Others have escaped into the neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey among others to seek refuge. The effects of cancer and diabetes in these refugee camps are devastating as reports indicate that in a camp in Jordan, 21.8% of adults had one or more NCD with diabetes at 14%. The burden of disease, including cancer and diabetes among Syrian refugees, is a serious health issue and one that requires urgent international interventions and solutions to save the lives of refugees from the looming humanitarian health crisis.
WHO estimates that annually, over 38 million people die from non-communicable diseases. NCDs affect people from every region and of all ages. In times of ear and conflicts, the effects of NCDs are never taken into considerations as emergency teams resort to only helping more visible health concerns such as trauma, injuries, and malnutrition (WHO, p.2). The bad thing is that these wars and conflicts take place in developing countries that are already struggling to provide for its people. The state of Syria since the war broke out in 2011 has been criticized as every government and private agency's operations have been primarily affected. The conflicts have resulted in the destruction of infrastructure, institutions, and way of life. More than 5.4 million people have escaped into neighboring countries to seek refuge. For example, in Jordan, there are about 660 000 refugees. In Lebanon, there are 997, 905 refugees, and Turkey host 3, 424, 237 refugees (WHO, p.5).