Double Burden of Disease-Period 2

The course Double Burden of Disease is a course within the Global Health Track of the minor Biomedical and Health Interventions of the Bachelor's programs Health Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Health & Life (and other health-oriented Bachelors programs). Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) currently face a double burden of disease. This term was defined by the WHO as first, the emerging epidemics of non communicable diseases and injuries, which are becoming more prevalent in industrialized and developing countries alike, and second, some major infectious diseases which survived the 20th century part of the unfinished health agenda (WHO, 1999a). In essence, the health shift from communicable diseases (CDs) (e.g. hepatitis A, polio, measles, tetanus) to non-communicable/chronic diseases (NCDs) (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, cancers and diabetes) which health system experts had seen in high income countries (HICs) after the second world war was not happening in LMICs. Instead people in LMICs now face the double burden of high rates of both NCDS and CDs. This is also described as double-disease burden, dual burden, joint burden, and combined burden.

In addition, recent conversations within the health and scientific field have highlighted the triple burden of communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and additional factors such as mental health, injuries, socio-behavioral conditions. This introduces additional complexity to the existing problems of the double burden of disease. Although this course focuses on the double burden of disease we will also discuss these emerging triple burdens.

The beginning of the course presents an overview on communicable and non-communicable diseases as part of the conversation on the double and triple burden of disease. We will study key concepts and terminology as well as measurements related to the double burden of diseases. The following lectures will address specific diseases as several examples of the double burden of disease and how it affects people, professionals and health care systems. For example, HIV as an infectious and chronic condition. Finally, we will have a reflection lecture which addresses health system responses, interventions and programs to address thedouble burden of diseases.

Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.