Epidemiological Transition Models Population Control

Epidemiological Transition Model ETM-shows distinctive causes of death in each stage of the demographic transition model Stage 1 – Epidemics/Pandemics: Infectious and parasitic diseases, famine – Ex: Black Plague (25 million Europeans died) Stage 2 – Receding epidemic (affects high proportion of population, but in isolation) – Ex: Cholera (contaminated water supply)

Epidemiological Transition Model Stage 3 – Degenerative and human-created disease – Ex: Cardiovascular disease and Cancer Stage 4 – Delayed degenerative diseases – Ex: Alzheimer's, Diabetes Stage 5? – Reemerging infectious and parasitic disease – Ex: Malaria, TB, AIDS

AIDS/HIV world distribution: – 23 million in Sub-Saharan Africa – 5+ million in Asia (India, China, SE Asia) – 2 million in Latin America (Caribbean-Haiti) Sub-Saharan Africa – 70% of HIV cases – Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Kenya – Increase death rates – Declining life expectancy

How do Governments Affect Population Change? Many governments institute policies designed to influence the overall growth rate or ethnic ratios within the population. These policies fall into three groups: 1. Expansive 2. Eugenic 3. Restrictive

Expansive Population Policies Encourage families to have more children Communist Societies – Soviet Union – China – Mao Zedong European countries: NOW – Tax incentives – Sweden Cash payments, tax incentives, job leave, work hour flexibility lasting up to 8 years after birth Short baby boom, but led to issues

Eugenic Population Policies Favoring one racial or cultural sector of the population over the others – Tax discrimination, allocation of resources, favoritism Examples – Nazi Germany – Japan? – USA?

Restrictive Population Policies Reducing the rate of natural increase through a range of means – China: “One-child” policy: Income bonuses, Better health care benefits, Better retirement pensions, Priority in housing

Solutions to Population Growth Empowerment of Women –$ for contraception & education –Changing cultural norms to value girls Diffusion of Birth Control Policies –Educating men w/ responsibility for birth control –Sterilization

Solutions to Population Growth Redistribution of wealth - improve standard of living for poor so that children aren’t as necessary –Improving farming techniques in poor areas –Starvation, Malnourishment

Solutions to Population Growth Medical technology – costs of maintaining vulnerable populations (old & young) Addressing government policies to deal with their growing populations

Something to think about… Is population control funded by MDCs ethical in LDCs? – Population control v. culture – Birth control? – Sterilization? – Abortion? – Sex determination? – Incentives: Money, food, clothing? Is population control funded by MDCs needed to keep mass amounts of people in the LDCs out of poverty?