Racism and Disease

Racism

The 1950s was an era of great conflicts and black segregation was at its utmost (Rollins, 2016).  My blog will focus on my sister’s stressor during the 1950s when she was attending junior and high school.  My sister endured harsh racism.  However, this did not keep her from excelling.

She started to school at five and had to walk three miles to school while white children rode the bus.  As she walked to school, she recalled many racist slurs from white children, and also the bus driver.  She was called the “N” word, spat on, rocks and varying objects were thrown at her.

There were insufficient books and materials for people of color, as they would receive the old, ripped, and many times discarded.  Oftentimes, my sister attended schools in varying buildings without sufficient heating and lighting.  Additionally, there was no inside plumbing. 

She also recalled how the KKK burned our barn with our farm equipment, livestock, horses, and mules.  It was a time when all my parents could do was pray that their lives would be spared.  This did not stop my sister, as our parents believed strongly in education.  She continued to strive for excellence.  My parents told her that with a good educational background, she would reach her goal.

Finally, she did not have to endure as much racism when our father purchased a truck.  She had the opportunity to drive herself and her siblings to school.  She graduated from high school with honors.  After high school, she graduated with a B. S. and later to M. S. degrees. 

Disease

For children in Sierra Leone, poverty and malaria are deadly combinations (Lee, 2007).  For children in Sierra Leone, poverty combined with malaria is somewhat a death sentence.  There is a high risk of contracting malaria in Sierra Leone.  Many people still die, as over 4,326 people died this year.  This plight continues because many of the residents in Sierra Leone are at the poverty level and cannot afford the medicines needed to combat or control the disease.

There are a number of pathways through which malaria infections could impact the course of children development, causing impairment and disability and adding to the burden of malaria (Holding & Kitsao).  The disease of malaria has a harsh impact on children’s development, cognitive, and motor skills.  In our church, we had an adult who went to this rea and contracted malaria.  He experienced vomiting, joint pain, convulsions, and dying several years later.  This plight for children is much worse as it damages the brain  The nervous system of humans is formed by the brain (Development of the Human Nervous System).  When malaria damages the brain, it impacts child development, motor skills, and cognition.

Bed nets drastically reduce the rise of contraction of the disease (Lee, 2007).  Bed nets keep infectious mosquitoes from contact with human beings.  These bed nets are fundamental in helping cut the number of infected people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working closely with the Government of Sierra Leone to prevent the spread of malaria in Sierra Leona (WHO to Prevent Cholera and Malaria in Sierra Leone).  The Government and WHO are working together to stop the outspread of disease.  They use tests to determine who has the disease to offset the spread of malaria as they are able to note the symptoms of who needs to be tested and provide medicines to those who are already infected. 

References

Drake, E.  (2017). WHO to prevent cholera and malaria in sierra leone doctors' quarters.

            com/who-to-prevent-cholera-and-malaria.

Holding, P. A. Kitsao-on development:  What should we be measuring and how should

            We measure it www.ncoi gov/books,NB.

Lee, R. (2007). Poverty and malaria are deadly combinations www.unicef.org/country

sierra leone.

Rollins, R. (2016). Racial segregation: 1950s and today-Third sight History-Social-

            Rollins . edu…/ social-segregation-1950s-and-today.