DISEASE DILEMMAS-2025- CASE STUDY FINAL EXAM
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS ALREADY
GRADED A+ GUARANTEED SUCCESS
how was COVID-19 mitigated against? (2)
-vaccination: rolled out asap. EVAL: some countries were less able or unwilling to
do so (variants of the virus kept spreading meaning multiple rounds of vaccination
had to be rolled out, costing millions. in some counties demand is greater than supply
of vaccines and so not a viable option. the long-term impact of COVID-19
vaccinations remains unknown, vaccinations did not have long to be properly tested
before they were rolled out)
-lockdowns, quarantine, and social distancing to reduce human contact
-COVID-19 was the tipping point for the world economy, causing a major global
depression, with the long-term effects still emerging
-older populations faces higher death rates, whereas the younger population were
affected by job losses and school closures
what were the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19? (5)
-public health systems were under immense strain
-governments had to decide between letting the virus spread or restricting people's
personal freedoms (most chose lockdowns)
-significant disparities between affluent and poorer communities: impacted those in
lower-income jobs living in densely populated areas who had to work; social
distancing or quarantine was impossible for some.
who funds WHO? (1)
-voluntary (unstable?!) contributions from governments and private funds e.g.
Germany number 1 donor ($1.25B), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($600M).
EVAL: Trump (n3 donor) may be pulling out of donating
what are the key roles and responsibilities of WHO? (5)
1
,-provides leadership on key health areas and sets global standards (e.g. WHO air
quality guidelines, leads on tackling global health issues such as AIDS and drug
resistance)
-collects health data from member states (LE, death rate, govt spending)
-monitors health situation to give pandemic or endemic warnings (e.g. COVID-19)
-provides technical support during health crises (preparedness, prevention and
control)
-researches health issues (working with pharmas, research groups etc)
how did CUBA succeed in the COVID-19 pandemic? (5)
-as soon as COVID-19 broke out in China, Cuba updates their National Action Plan
for epidemics
-Quarantine was obligatory for all Cubans returning home, and any visitors were
tested for COVID-19
-lockdown began on March 20th (9 days after WHO declared a global pandemic)
and borders closed on March 24th.
-anyone hospitalised had 50% of their salary guaranteed to them.
-by mid-June death rates had fallen to normal levels.
why was Cuba's performance in COVID-19 so impressive? (1)
despite a low GDP per capita of US $8,800, Cuba has an excellent healthcare system
and outperformed many ACs in COVID-19.
key facts on WHO (4)
-HQ in Geneva
-194 member states
-6 regional offices
-works in close partnership with the UN agencies (UNICEF, World Bank) and
NGOs as well as private companies
what are the criticisms of WHO? (3)
2
, -health experts from Harvard said WHO was too slow to declare Ebola a global
pandemic in 2014-15, 11,000 died in West Africa
- WHO's advice not legally binding- many ignore it (e.g. India's air quality)
-stretched "too thin" over lots of complex issues
success of WHO? (1)
recent approval of GSK's "mosqurix" which protected 1 million African Children
from Malaria.
what are the causes of air pollution in India? (outdoor 3 indoor 1)
-outdoor: emissions of particulates, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone-
mainly by motor vehicles, coal-burning fires stations and factories. shows a link
between economic development and air pollution, as cities industrialise (factories
and car ownership)
-outdoor: densely populated, many people live close to roads
-outdoor: govt figures unwilling to address problems
-indoor: lack of electricity, esp in rural areas, means a high dependence on biomass
fuels such as animal dung for heating, parrafin for cooking, and is responsible for 1
million premature deaths a year.
what are the criticisms of Glaxosmithkline? (6)
-neglecting to research development of antibiotics
-spending more than other companies 'lobbying' governments to ensure regulations
favour them
-motivated by profit, and demand for new drugs in LIDCs is weak- so drugs are not
made there.
-making excess profits above average for large corporations
-neglecting to sufficiently fund research in less profitable areas of drug development
(EVAL: they do have a research centre in Spain concentrating on tropical diseases
which launched mosquirix, although Ebola research was scrapped in 2022)
-Concentrating research on developing long-term and repeated prescription drugs
(opioid painkillers and antidepressants)
3
ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS ALREADY
GRADED A+ GUARANTEED SUCCESS
how was COVID-19 mitigated against? (2)
-vaccination: rolled out asap. EVAL: some countries were less able or unwilling to
do so (variants of the virus kept spreading meaning multiple rounds of vaccination
had to be rolled out, costing millions. in some counties demand is greater than supply
of vaccines and so not a viable option. the long-term impact of COVID-19
vaccinations remains unknown, vaccinations did not have long to be properly tested
before they were rolled out)
-lockdowns, quarantine, and social distancing to reduce human contact
-COVID-19 was the tipping point for the world economy, causing a major global
depression, with the long-term effects still emerging
-older populations faces higher death rates, whereas the younger population were
affected by job losses and school closures
what were the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19? (5)
-public health systems were under immense strain
-governments had to decide between letting the virus spread or restricting people's
personal freedoms (most chose lockdowns)
-significant disparities between affluent and poorer communities: impacted those in
lower-income jobs living in densely populated areas who had to work; social
distancing or quarantine was impossible for some.
who funds WHO? (1)
-voluntary (unstable?!) contributions from governments and private funds e.g.
Germany number 1 donor ($1.25B), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($600M).
EVAL: Trump (n3 donor) may be pulling out of donating
what are the key roles and responsibilities of WHO? (5)
1
,-provides leadership on key health areas and sets global standards (e.g. WHO air
quality guidelines, leads on tackling global health issues such as AIDS and drug
resistance)
-collects health data from member states (LE, death rate, govt spending)
-monitors health situation to give pandemic or endemic warnings (e.g. COVID-19)
-provides technical support during health crises (preparedness, prevention and
control)
-researches health issues (working with pharmas, research groups etc)
how did CUBA succeed in the COVID-19 pandemic? (5)
-as soon as COVID-19 broke out in China, Cuba updates their National Action Plan
for epidemics
-Quarantine was obligatory for all Cubans returning home, and any visitors were
tested for COVID-19
-lockdown began on March 20th (9 days after WHO declared a global pandemic)
and borders closed on March 24th.
-anyone hospitalised had 50% of their salary guaranteed to them.
-by mid-June death rates had fallen to normal levels.
why was Cuba's performance in COVID-19 so impressive? (1)
despite a low GDP per capita of US $8,800, Cuba has an excellent healthcare system
and outperformed many ACs in COVID-19.
key facts on WHO (4)
-HQ in Geneva
-194 member states
-6 regional offices
-works in close partnership with the UN agencies (UNICEF, World Bank) and
NGOs as well as private companies
what are the criticisms of WHO? (3)
2
, -health experts from Harvard said WHO was too slow to declare Ebola a global
pandemic in 2014-15, 11,000 died in West Africa
- WHO's advice not legally binding- many ignore it (e.g. India's air quality)
-stretched "too thin" over lots of complex issues
success of WHO? (1)
recent approval of GSK's "mosqurix" which protected 1 million African Children
from Malaria.
what are the causes of air pollution in India? (outdoor 3 indoor 1)
-outdoor: emissions of particulates, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone-
mainly by motor vehicles, coal-burning fires stations and factories. shows a link
between economic development and air pollution, as cities industrialise (factories
and car ownership)
-outdoor: densely populated, many people live close to roads
-outdoor: govt figures unwilling to address problems
-indoor: lack of electricity, esp in rural areas, means a high dependence on biomass
fuels such as animal dung for heating, parrafin for cooking, and is responsible for 1
million premature deaths a year.
what are the criticisms of Glaxosmithkline? (6)
-neglecting to research development of antibiotics
-spending more than other companies 'lobbying' governments to ensure regulations
favour them
-motivated by profit, and demand for new drugs in LIDCs is weak- so drugs are not
made there.
-making excess profits above average for large corporations
-neglecting to sufficiently fund research in less profitable areas of drug development
(EVAL: they do have a research centre in Spain concentrating on tropical diseases
which launched mosquirix, although Ebola research was scrapped in 2022)
-Concentrating research on developing long-term and repeated prescription drugs
(opioid painkillers and antidepressants)
3
