Robert Emeh

Alabama St. Student

December 15, 2013

Day Five: Social Behavior

The night before, Dr. Rolling told the TPaIDA students and me that we were traveling to Belen, one of the poorest, dirtiest districts in Peru. Around 9 in the morning, we all took motor carts to the market in Belen. The market was over populated, and the environment looked unsanitary. The cooks laid their food out in the open, unprotected from bugs. The feces and trash laid all over the ground. Dirty dogs roamed around, trying to find random scraps to eat. Hundreds of people bought and sold food, but neither their hands nor the food seemed clean.

As we were walking, Dr. Rolling told us to stop and look around, telling us this is how infectious diseases are spread amongst people. When people don’t wash their hands and eat contaminated food, they will soon become infected with diseases. The market in Benin is a true reflection of how dengue, malaria, and other infectious diseases spread amongst a community.

So how do we make the people of Belen change their bad habits? How can we reverse the spread of infectious diseases?  I believe that if Belen’s government gets involved by educating their people, things will start to change. As Americans, we can’t just tell Peruvians to stop doing what they have been doing their whole life. If Peruvians saw their own leaders promote better ways of living to prevent the spread of diseases, then they will follow.  Along with that, the government should supervise the importation of goods into Belen, in order to make sure the imported goods are not contaminated.

If this protocol were to start today, it would probably take a long time before there is any significant change. The first generation will probably won’t see any benefits from it, but the second and third will. That is why it is important to educate the young people of Belen. If the right leaders step up to the plate and make a change, then the future of Belen will be very promising.