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Director’s
Page
 The
September 11th attacks and the subsequent intentional release of
deadly germs brought us to a new awareness of how vulnerable we
are to both external and internal threats. These events revealed
the inadequacy and lack of preparedness of our public health infrastructure
to deal with such crises.
However, let us not forget that health professionals
around the world continue to wage a silent war against equally ominous
forces. Old and newly emerging global health threats are challenging
all human societies. Organisms and diseases spread faster and further
than ever before and they affect a greater number in a shorter period
of time. As a result, the window of opportunity for response is
considerably reduced. It is not only business that is becoming more
global; so are germs and diseases. In a world where nations and
economies are increasingly interdependent, ill health in any population
affects all peoples, rich and poor. The developed world ignores
at its own peril the problems of developing nations.
Looking at the state of global health, a litany
of grim statistics cast serious doubt about achieving the World
Health Organization’s goal of "Health for All for the
21st Century"–more than 250,000 children die
each week from preventable and easily treatable diseases–one
woman dies each minute from pregnancy-related conditions–in
some African countries one third of the children born do not reach
the age of five—the list goes on….
For those of us who have worked in poor nations
these statistics are not mere numbers: they are associated with
faces, names and human suffering. The growing gap between the world’s
poorest and wealthiest nations and the shocking inequities in access
to care and essential drugs constitute the largest reservoir for
global health risks and political instability. Poverty, a cause
of rapid population growth and environmental degradation, creates
new risks to health. It drives millions of urban dwellers to live
in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions where lack of sanitation
and water provide the breeding grounds for emerging and resurgent
infectious diseases with the potential to develop multi-drugs resistant
strains.
There is clear synergy between economic development
and health. Infectious diseases frequently strike down the most
productive members of the work force in the prime of their lives.
For instance, malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS have claimed six times
as many lives in the past fifty years as civilian and military casualties
from all wars over the same period of time. Yet, funding to control
these diseases is less than 2 percent of that of global military
expenditure. This is bad ethics and worse economics.
The threat of these diseases is not self-contained.
It is at the doorsteps of our cities.
Most countries around the world are currently
attempting to reform their health systems. Surprisingly, despite
the common health challenges they face, there is relatively little
exchange of information and experiences among countries.
Our common challenge is how to protect and enhance
the health of our communities in a world that is increasingly interconnected
and where public health, biomedical and social sciences are fragmented
disciplines. To develop effective strategies, the public and private
sectors need to recognize health as a vital component for a society
to meets its full economic, social and cultural potential.
The business world has realized that to meet the
challenges of the 21st Century, it must build strategic
partnerships and networks within and across industries and borders.
As stakeholders in health we must do the same.
André-Jacques Neusy, MD
Director
Center for Global Health
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