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Community Public Health Services

International Medical Relief (IMR) works with doctors, nurses, educators, dentists, volunteers, and students in order to make direct contact with communities and provide medical care to the most underserved and vulnerable populations. IMR goes beyond borders in order to increase the overall capacity of communities’ health care systems and provide communities with education about disease prevention and treatment, sanitation and hygiene, and mental health. IMR continues to work shoulder-to-shoulder with local officials in order to increase the overall well-being of the communities we serve. Our main goal is to become a provider that will create, sustain, and enhance a community’s overall health status.

Other Clinic Features

Chronic & Non-Communicable Disease

All of IMRs team members on our medical trips provide a variety of different levels of care – from the definitive to the supportive – for a wide variety of medical conditions. Our health clinics can see patients suffering from minor fevers and bruises to AIDS. IMR is able to identify, treat, and educate communities about chronic and non-communicable diseases that heavily impact their area.

  • Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally.
  • According to WHO estimates, there were 417,918 deaths due to asthma at the global level and 24.8 million DALYS attributable to Asthma in 2016
  • Cardiovascular Diseases are the number 1 cause of death globally: more people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause
Immunization

Every year, more than 1.8 million people die from vaccine-preventable diseases. IMR has a vaccination program that helps give vaccinations to those that otherwise would not have access because of their location or due to the costs. IMR is able to reach remote areas that are underserved in terms of health care services. Vaccinations required to be kept at a very specific temperature, and our teams are skilled at transporting the vaccinations effectively and properly. Vaccines are one of the most effective health interventions ever developed. Every year, we are able to increase our ability to vaccinate communities against tuberculosis, polio, measles, and other diseases.

Since 2020, IMR has held vaccination clinics in seven countries: Argentina, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, and the United States. IMR plans to continue to run vaccination clinics where we can and where it is needed.

In October of 2009, IMR conducted our third vaccination clinic for the Talibe near Theis, Senegal. IMR vaccinated 428 Talibe youth. Oumou Diop, the director of Tostan in Theis states, “I would like to thank you sincerely for this great support that was very important for the health of these children”

Nutrition

Nutrition is a crucial component to increase health outcomes. Millions of people are suffering from different forms of malnutrition. It is reported that about 1.9 billion adults are overweight or obese while 462 million are underweight. Among children, 52 million under-fives are suffering from wasting, where they have a low weight for height. In order to help improve the overall well-being of a community, IMR also works to provide some communities with livestock donations, agricultural seed planting, and food aid distribution. In every community we serve, we always hold a community health education class on nutrition.

Some of IMR’s initiatives include planting Moringa trees in communities around the world. The Moringa tree (Moringa oleifera), also called the Drumstick Tree, Horseradish Tree, and Ben Oil or Benzoyl Tree, is an amazing, fast-growing tree native to the Himalayan foothills in northern India. It is so adaptable, it grows well in most tropical and subtropical climates, even in areas with limited rainfall and poor soil. It can withstand drought and it loves the sun and extreme heat. Also, almost every part of the tree can be eaten.

  • The leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant. They can be eaten fresh or cooked like you would eat spinach, or they can be dried and powdered to add to soups and sauces. They are high in protein and loaded with nutrients and phytochemicals. Moringa leaves are being used to help to fight malnutrition in developing countries, especially among children and nursing mothers.
  • The seed pods are called drumsticks and eaten as vegetables, often added to soups and curries.
  • The seeds can be pressed to release ben oil, which can be used as a food supplement and potentially as a biofuel.
  • The roots have a flavor similar to horseradish and can be shredded to flavor foods.

There are many other ways Moringa Trees can benefit communities including making an excellent forage for livestock and can prevent soil erosion. The phytochemicals on the leaves have antiseptic and detergent properties that can be effective for hand washing. Also, Moringa seed cake, the byproduct of pressing the seeds to release the oil, can be used to filter water and make it safe for humans and animals to drink.

Infectious Diseases – Identification and Treatment

Many of the key determinants of health and the causes of infectious diseases lie outside the direct control of the health sector. Other sectors involved are those dealing with sanitation and water supply, environmental and climate change, education, agriculture, trade, tourism, transport, industrial development and housing. That is why IMR works hard to improve the overall well-being and lifestyle for communities. Each of our clinics has a basic laboratory that provides a variety of testing, including UA, Hgb, malaria, HIV, and more.

IMR provides critical education on how to prevent getting malaria in the future by using bed nets, eliminating mosquito larva and much more. We also provide medicines for victims with malaria. IMR has provided malaria testing in 33 countries. IMR has conducted HIV testing in 9 countries. Also, during every medical mission trip, we provide community health education classes for HIV/AIDS prevention and safe sex.

  • Infectious diseases kill over 17 million people a year
  • There were an estimated 38.0 million people living with HIV at the end of 2019.
  • Children aged under 5 years are the most vulnerable group affected by malaria; in 2018, they accounted for 67% (272 000) of all malaria deaths worldwide.

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