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Global Health

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Fast Facts about Global Health 

• Nearly 10% of global diseases and 6.3% of all deaths could be prevented just by improving water supply, sanitation, hygiene, and management of water resources. By improving these conditions millions of child deaths from diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition, and drowning could be prevented each year (World Health Organization).
• An estimated 39.5 million people in the world are living with HIV or AIDS. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS – a disease that attacks a person's immune system (the system in our body that keeps us healthy). There is not yet a cure or vaccine for AIDS. In 2006, 4.3 million people were newly infected with HIV (UNAIDS).
• While many people in the world suffer from starvation by 2015, about 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese (World Health Organization).
• An estimated 28.9 million people worldwide have died from AIDS since the beginning of the pandemic (U.S. Agency for International Development).
• Tobacco use, obesity, and a lack of exercise are the leading causes of preventable death. In 2000 4.9 million people died prematurely from tobacco use (World Health Organization).
• In 2003 there were 12 million AIDS orphans in Africa, and it is estimated that the number will grow to 18 million by 2010 unless major prevention efforts begin immediately (UNAIDS 2004 Report on the global AIDS epidemic).
• For 2005-2010 there is a life expectancy range of 43 years between Japan with the highest life expectancy (83 years) and Swaziland with the lowest life expectancy (40 years) (United Nations).
• Tuberculosis is an airborne infectious bacterial disease that mainly affects the lungs. There were an estimated 9.3 million people infected with tuberculosis in 2007 and a total of 13.7 million people living with the disease in 2007 (Global Health Facts).
• The country with the highest infant mortality rate, Sierra Leone, has an infant mortality rate of 160 children per 1,000 births. The country with the lowest infant mortality rate, Gibraltar, has a rate of 3 children per 1,000 births. That means for every 1,000 births in Sierra Leone 16% of children will die before their first birthday, while only 0.3% will die in Gibraltar (United Nations).
• The disparity between child death rates is even greater when comparing the death rate for children under the age of 5. In Sierra Leone 278 children per 1,000 children (27.8%) die before they turn 5, while in Iceland the rate is 4 children per 1,000 (0.4%) (United Nations).
• In 2006 there were 247 million cases of malaria, a disease characterized by fever, headaches, and vomiting that is spread by mosquitoes, and 881,000 deaths from the disease (Global Health Facts).
• Even though the United Nations recognizes reproductive health as a human right, an estimated 200 million women (roughly 1 in 7 women of reproductive age) worldwide who want to use safe and effective family planning methods are unable to do so. This is because they lack access to reproductive information and services or the support of their husbands and communities. Limited access to family planning leads to high rates of unplanned pregnancy, millions of unsafe abortions, and thousands of maternal and infant deaths (United Nations Population Fund).

Quick Actions to Promote Global Health

• Prevent the spread of diseases
  Many diseases and infections can be spread from person to person. To help reduce your risk of catching diseases or passing diseases onto others remember to: wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing or coughing, and stay at home when you are sick with a contagious disease. For more information on how to prevent the spread of disease visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle
  Exercise, eat right, and avoid risky behaviors to ensure a longer and healthier life. Making healthy lifestyle choices is easier and more fun with the support of your family and friends, so get them involved and help make healthy decisions together.
• Protect yourself against HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections
  Eliminating your own risk for contracting HIV is a critical first step to ending the epidemic. Find out how to protect yourself from HIV/AIDS at avert.org and Sexually Transmitted Infections from Teens Health.
• Promote World AIDS Day
  December 1 is World AIDS Day. Raising awareness and support for international action about AIDS and HIV is a critical part of preventing the disease. Hold an event at your school, church, club, or house.

Want More Information?

• Africa Alive
  Africa Alive uses music, street performances, and other media to educate youth in Africa about HIV/AIDS prevention.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  The CDC publishes information and tools that people and communities need to protect their health.
• Facing the Future resources
  • Additional Global Health Resources
• Global Health Facts
  Global Health Facts provides information regarding HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and many other diseases that affect people worldwide.
• Pathfinder International
  Pathfinder International provides women, men, and adolescents throughout the developing world with access to quality family planning and reproductive health information and services. Pathfinder works to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, provide care to women suffering from the complications of unsafe abortion, and advocate for sound reproductive health policies in the U.S. and abroad.
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
  UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programs to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect. Its website features an in-depth section on improving reproductive health and a searchable report of country profiles.
• UNAIDS
  UNAIDS is the main advocate for global action on HIV/AIDS. It leads, strengthens, and supports an expanded response aimed at preventing transmission of HIV. It also works to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV/AIDS, to help alleviate the impact of the epidemic.
• World Health Organization (WHO)
  WHO is the UN authority on global health matters, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends. Its website includes extensive information on reproductive health, as well as WHOSIS, a database of health statistics for UN member countries.