International PerspectiveBy, Stephanie
It could be said that Australia is the closest developed country to the United States. English is the shared language and a strong democratic tradition is common. Where the indigenous peoples of America are referred as Native Americans, the indigenous peoples of Australia are called Aboriginals. I traveled to the Land Down Under in July 2007 for a short term summer study abroad program called Contemporary Issues in International Public Health. We selected Australia to compare and contrast the public health infrastructure to that in the States because of our commonalities in government, economy, health, culture. The goal of the course was to learn about global and public health from an international perspective and apply basic concepts and tools of public health practice in our communities. We studied three different cities in four distinct environments that similarly paralleled American communities to identify contributing factors to disease causation and prevention and to understand the intricate fabric of public health at local, state, federal, national and global levels with regard to the interplay between these levels in health surveillance and disease prevention. We examined the operation and effectiveness of current standing public health programs in Australia aimed at addressing controversial local and national health issues. This included the Needle Exchange Program, which increases access and availability of sterile syringes to reduce the transmission of HIV infection and other blood-borne diseases among drug users. Furthermore, in few cities of the world is gay culture as mainstream as in Sydney, Australia. In a survey conducted in Sydney alone, it was reported that 1 in 6 men reported being homosexual. Prevention and education of HIV/AIDS have become a central part of community and public health initiatives to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS in Australia. |
© 2010 BetheCatalyst
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Almost three quarters of the population of this island country live close to the water. But in the arid desert region of Alice Springs and Uluru, we explored environmental issues such as water shortage and water use as a sustainability issue. Mass public messages and media of energy conservation streamlined throughout the region. Water is a valuable resource, a precious commodity. One of the most exciting experiences in Uluru was interacting with the Aborigines and understanding the Aborigine customs and culture. The Aborigines are very religious and spiritual people. They see themselves as an extension of the land. Taking a picture of them would be stealing away part of their spirit and soul. They thrive off the land, and the land provides food and basic resources for shelter. Traditional bush medicine and practices are still widely used today, and the advent of Western modern day medicine into the Aborigine culture was not readily accepted by the Aborigines. But over the last few decades the use of complementary and alternative medicine has assisted the access and delivery to health care to the indigenous population to improve morbidity and mortality rates.
Our final destination was Cairns, Australia. It is the gateway to an internationally recognized natural world wonder and icon, the Great Barrier Reef! We spent one night sleeping under the thick treetops of the Daintree Forest and two nights in Cairns. We learned about Australia's distinct flora and fauna and uncovered hidden treasures down under. These natural gems and ecosystems are strictly managed and protected by the Australian government and marine park authority from tourism and commercial use through public education, research, monitoring, and zoning efforts. Australia is a gorgeous country to learn about and to travel. I hope sharing this with you will help you see the world through a different set of lens. I will post more photos soon. I hope you enjoy the slide show.
© 2010 BetheCatalyst