Is the Present Day Generation Is More Vulnerable to Diseases Than the Previous Generations?

The present surviving generation is weak. There are more asthmatic patients than ever before, more diabetic patients than ever before, more kidney failures are seen than before thus different diseases are spreading at an alarming rate. So we can easily say that present generation is more vulnerable to many diseases than the previous generations. But it’s only half the truth.

The fact is that there was a higher infant mortality rate in the past times and the children with diseases at young ages or children with premature births were less likely to survive and usually die young due to lack of modern medical procedures thus they never become the part of the society to be have their health judged. This can be seen by looking at the following graph provided by Global Burden of Disease collaborating Network which shows that in 1190 the mortality rate of infants and children due to respiratory diseases, diarrhea, malaria and other diseases were higher than in 2015.

Due to lack of proper medical procedures and higher death rates in the past due to diseases only the individuals with the strongest immune system which has the ability to defend against many diseases were able to survive well to higher ages. Thus the adults of those appeared to be less viable to catch diseases more often due to their strong immune system while the ones with weaker immune system don’t usually survive to the age of sexual maturity. Thus with parents having less diseases and more immune to diseases have kids with less chances of having congenital disorders. The above graph also shows that back in the day’s mortality rates of children was more in young age then nowadays and less at higher age than nowadays.

Due to the availability of modern medical procedures life of a lot of infants are saved with diseases like asthma and other congenital diseases from birth or the as the pre mature born babies are saved which would otherwise have not have survived. Now due to improved medical technologies having a weak immune system in not a problem anymore as the immunity enhancing and assisting drugs like antibiotics etc are readily available to the almost everyone. Thus now we can preserve more lives by the help of advancement of medical technologies. The following graph shows that less people now die due to diseases and injuries as most of the lives are preserved by the help of medical services available. More people die due to age then by diseases themselves.

So it is not that exactly that this generation has grown weak but this actually have also saved those as well who would otherwise have died who are a little less immune and more vulnerable to diseases from the rest but the bright future we are seeing today is possible because of the efforts of the many lives which were saved today which would otherwise might not be able to have their part generating the world we are seeing today. And we might be able to find ways to eliminate many of these diseases in the coming future.