Diseases in Tribal Ares

1. DISEASES IN
TRIBAL AREA
Prepared By : Sri Sai Dhrithi .K
Grade : V AF
School : ADIS AL WATBA – Abu Dhabi

2. Tribal people or Scheduled tribes are the most marginalised and poorest social
category in the country. There is a broad agreement about high levels of
undernutrition among tribal adults and children are available, a resulting
concern about the illnesses they suffer from is not so obvious. The challenge of
inaccessibility to health services and their health care seeking behaviour seem
to dominate the discourse in tribal health. Further, they constitute 8.6 percent
of total population , are actually facing triple burden of diseases like
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy etc.), and NON-
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (diabetes, cardiovascular and cancers) also includes
mental health problems like stress, substance abuse and so on. Other indicators
like maternal and child health, malnutrition and stunting have improved but are
still a major health burden.
INTRODUCTION

3. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASED DISEASE BURDEN:
 Poverty and consequent undernutrition;
 Poor Hygiene & environmental sanitation
 Lack of safe drinking water & access to health care facilities resulting in increased
severity and/or duration of illness;
 Social barriers preventing utilization of available health care services.
 Specific diseases they are prone to such as genetic diseases (G-6 PD deficiency),
infections (Yaws) etc.
ANNUAL NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE DEATHS ARE ESTIMATED TO TOTAL:
 17 million from cardiovascular disease.
 7 million from cancer
 4.2 million from respiratory disease
 1.3 million from diabetes
The above four make up 80% of all deaths from NCDs. They are all linked to alcohol abuse,
smoking, lack of exercise, and unhealthy eating habits.

4. NON-COMMUNICABLE/ CHRONIC DISEASES
also known as NCDs are non-infectious medical diseases or conditions. They
are diseases of long duration and generally slow progression. The four main
types of non-communicable diseases are cardiovascular diseases (like heart
attacks and stroke), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic
obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes. However, some
chronic diseases are not non-communicable because they are infectious, such
as HIV/AIDS.
Examples of non-communicable diseases include diabetes,
Alzheimer's, cancer, osteoporosis, chronic lung disease, stroke, and heart
disease. Almost four-fifths of all deaths from non-communicable diseases
occur
in developing countries.
Non-communicable diseases, Non-communicable diseases, or NCDs, are by far
the leading cause of death in the world, representing 63% of all annual deaths.

5. COMMUNICABLE DISEASES : The people in their daily life
consciously or subconsciously modify the environment and ecological aspects of
their habitat, which in turn increase the risk for communicable diseases. The
communication of diseases is dependent either on the direct contact or on the
indirect agents like breathing, sputum, stool, saliva, urine, etc. Thus, the
communicable diseases are those diseases, which pass from infected person to a
healthy person by direct or indirect contacts through infectious agents.
Sometimes, viral or bacterial infections cause death in a large number (in
epidemic form) and threaten the survival of mankind. There are several
communicable diseases prevalent among the tribals such as Tuberculosis,
Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), Malaria, Filariasis, Diarrhoea
and Dysentry, Jaundice, Parasitic infestation, Viral and Fungal infections,
Conjunctivitis, Yaws, Scabies, Measles, Leprosy, Cough and Cold, HIV/AIDS,
which is spreading like wild fire, etc. due to lack of sanitation and unhygienic

6. Beside the other communicable diseases like diarrhoea, measles, typhoid, and
influenza are also reported among the tribals.
LEPROSY is communicated through intimate and prolonged contact with the patient.
The unhygienic conditions play a major role and disease is manifested in skin, mucous
membrane and nerves and caused by mycobacterium leprae.
LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS (LF) is one of the major tropical diseases associated with
disfigurement of grossly swollen limbs and genitals. Globally around 40 million people
almost in 80 countries where the disease is endemic have clinical LF, and another 80
million are infected with the parasite.
MALARIA is emerging as the major public health problem in all tribes. The environment
is conducive to mosquito proliferation, survival and longevity; all these prerequisites
lend to active transmission of the malaria pathogen. Owing to the heavy rainfall and
high humidity, mosquito fauna is rich and breeding habitats are diverse. The
transmission of malaria is perennial and persistent. This type of malaria is often termed

7. In DIARROHEAL disorders are communicable waterborne diseases like gastro-
intestinal disorders including acute diarrhea and are responsible for high
morbidity and mortality. In tribal areas of Orissa, the diarrheal/dysentry diseases
including cholera occur throughout the year attaining peak during the rainy
season The acute diarrheal problems were basically due to poor environmental
hygiene, lack of safe drinking water, improper disposal of human excreta,
aggravated by low literacy, socio-economic status coupled with blind cultural
belief, lack of access to medical facilities leading to serious public health
problems.

8. STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE HEALTH CARE IN TRIBAL AREAS
 Ensuring availability of adequate infrastructure and personnel.
 Effective implementation of the Health & Family Welfare programmes.
 Close monitoring, early detection of problems in implementation and
midcourse correction.
SOME SUGGESTIONS
 Improvement of healthcare infrastructure Developing a flawless referral
system. Provide diagnostic facilities for genetic defects.
 Follow up of anaemic and other severe patients.
WAY’S
 Refreshing and Regular clinics in all villages
 Sharing knowledge with tribal women.
 Tribal girls working as Health Workers.
 Health education and discussion of social problems.
 Dramas and cultural shows to spread information

9. AIMS
 Bring all woman and children through childbirth alive and well.
 Ensure children grow up well nourished.
 Give easy, low cost access to good health care.
 Share their knowledge of health care with tribal communities so it becomes
part of their wisdom and day to day experience .
 To attain the highest possible level of physical, mental and social health .
 To create an atmosphere highly conducive for the growth and development of
local cultures and customs
CONCLUSION
It is necessary to continue with primary health care educational activities,
National health and tribal health programmes and other measures of providing
proper nutrition and counselling and with the help from experts from multi-
disciplinary fields, the health status of the tribal population can be improved.