Details about Nutrition and Infectious Diseases: Shifting the Clinical Paradigm
Nutrition and Infectious Diseases: Shifting the Clinical Paradigm PDF free download – This groundbreaking work by three pioneers of public health was the frst scientifc compilation to describe the synergistic relationship between an individual’s nutritional state and risk of infectious diseases in the context of the high burden of under-fve child mortality prevalent in those days. This relationship became widely known and described as the “vicious cycle of malnutrition and infection” that underpinned the high mortality rates among children, especially in low-resource settings. These concepts and research done in this area are as salient today as they were 50 years ago; nearly half of all global child deaths attributed to infectious syndromes such as pneumonia and diarrhea have underlying undernutrition. Additionally, undernourished children also experience increased severity and frequency of infections and slow recovery, causing irrevocable long-term impact. At the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, dedicated to the maxim that all individuals have an equal opportunity to lead a healthy and productive life, our mission and work in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) embodies understanding and addressing the close synergistic link between undernutrition and infection. Our approach is evidencebased in the recognition that the vulnerability that marks being undernourished and micronutrient defcient can exponentially increase the risk of death due to an infection in populations living in low-income settings. For example, data from a study we supported found undernutrition to be one of the most powerful risk factors, increasing the risk of pneumonia mortality by more than fvefold.