Different Diseases Afflict Rich and Poor

Infectious and parasitic diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria cause a quarter of the world''s deaths each year. Cancer, heart disease, and chronic respiratory disease cause twice that.

These diseases primarily affect populations at opposite ends of the income scale—the affluent and the impoverished. People in Africa and Southeast Asia, many of whom lack access to clean water, adequate nutrition, or proper healthcare, account for 75 percent of global deaths from infectious diseases, but make up just 36 percent of the world''s population. Europeans and Americans constitute just 28 percent of world population, but account for 42 percent of deaths from cardiovascular diseases and cancers—diseases that are often triggered by lifestyle factors such as smoking, being sedentary, and eating foods rich in salt, sugar, and fat.

Source:

Consumption Patterns Contribute to Mortality, Vital Signs 2003, pp. 108-109.

Worldwatch Links:

Vital Signs Fact of the Week Archive
Vital Signs 2003 press release
Take action: Vital Signs 2003, What You Can Do
More research from Worldwatch

Additional Resources:

World Health Organization''s Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health: www.who.int/hpr/global.strategy.shtml

WHO Global Atlas of Infectious Disease: globalatlas.who.int