Global Health Crisis

The global health crisis has been a major problem in recent years, probably the worst it has been in modern history. The least developed countries are the main victims of this problem, and many people believe that more powerful developed countries are not doing enough or helping out to try and eradicate this problem. The most deadly infectious diseases that are taking over the populations and killing millions of people are malaria, pneumonia, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, influenza, diarrheal diseases such as cholera and dysentery, and respiratory infections. These diseases are seriously threatening the political and economic structures of many LDC's, such as South Africa, Latin America, South and Southeast Asia. These infectious diseases are also increasingly affecting Russia, China, Europe and the United States. The economic costs of infectious diseases, most notably HIV/AIDS and malaria, are having a significantly heavy affect on productivity, profitability, and foreign investment. This will lead to growing GDP losses, that could reduce GDP by as much as 20 percent or more by 2010 in some Sub-Saharan African countries, according to recent studies2.

Because the US has not had to deal with the full effect of the disease crisis, many believe that the U.S. should have a moral obligation to help the people in LDC's and other countries because they do not have the power, economy or stability to help themselves. With the vast growing global economy it would also be in the best interest to help many of the LDC's that are suffering from these diseases. The world has lost sight of its important concern to get rid of poverty through better health and promote development by fighting deadly infectious disease. These diseases are n...

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Bibliography

1) Altman, Lawrence K. "Plan for Smallpox Rules Out Mass Vaccination". November 27th, 2001. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/27/national/27SMAL.html?searchpv=past7days&pagewanted=print.

2) Gannon, John C. "The Global Infectious Disease Threat and Its Implications for the United States". January 2000. http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nie/report/nie99-17d.html.

3) Raymond, Carrol. "The Global Disease Crisis: What is America's Role? Great Decisions 2001. Dartmouth Printing Company. 2001 Edition. Hanover, New Hampshire. C2001. p.55-64.

4) "Infectious disease Kill Overe 17 Million People a Year: who Warns of Global Crisis". 1996. http://www.who.int/whr/1996/press1.htm.