Select other info sector Select other info sector: > Agriculture > Development Practice / Effectiveness > Disability Inclusive Development > Disaster management > Economics > Education > Enterprise Development/Microfinance > Environment > Gender Equality > Governance > Health > HIV/AIDS > Infrastructure > Knowledge Sharing & ICT > Water and Sanitation

Health

Major Infectious Diseases

More than 90 percent of the deaths from infectious diseases worldwide are caused by only a handful of preventable diseases such as lower respiratory infections, HIV/AIDS, diarrhoeal diseases, tuberculosis, malaria and measles. Women and children are especially susceptible to the impact of infectious diseases. Children are most likely to die of malaria in developing countries and may also lack access to affordable measles vaccinations and simple interventions for diarrhoeal diseases. Women now account for more than 50 % of new HIV infections globally.

Vulnerable groups such as the poor trapped in overcrowded unsanitary living conditions with limited access to immunisation and health care are particularly at risk. Poor nutrition and compromised immune systems are factors for several major killers including lower respiratory infections and measles.

While not major killers, a number of the world's 'neglected' infectious diseases such as lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, intestinal parasites, leprosy and onchocerciasis also cause chronic disability and stigma for millions of people globally.