This week, I learned about health in West Africa, specifically, the lack of medical resources that many areas face throughout West Africa. While it did make me happy to learn that in general, there is a positive trend in the improvement of the state of the health system that is in place in West Africa, there is still a long way to go before West African communities are even close to being considered clean and safe places to live when compared with the United States. It was very discouraging to hear that many people will shun the sick in their communities, meaning that being sick can not only kill, as there is not very accessible healthcare, but will also make you a social pariah for the rest of your life. I learned that things such as the lack of proper sanitation are also adding to the difficulties, as it can be very difficult to stop the spread of infectious diseases when there is very easily contaminated drinking water and/or bathing facilities. It was very interesting to visualize the differences in cause of death and rates of diseases between the United States and places such as Sierra Leone, and it definitely has served to make me much more appreciative of the fact that I live in a country with abundant medical resources, and fewer of the social stigmas that can exist in third world countries. All in all, I would say that this has been a very eye-opening week for me.