Global health has become increasingly important, as already the term implies, due to globalization.
Globalization enables people, as well as services and connections, to reach distant areas of the world
rather freely in the today’s world. Even though globalization has its many benefits, through better
cooperation and liaison between countries and multinational organizations, the downsides are the risks
on health impacts. Infectious diseases are being spread and cause a threat on people’s health.
The environment has a close linkage to the global health as well. Environmental degradation has both
local and global impacts on health. Water pollution, waste problems and climate change are just a few,
but crucial, phenomena that pose a threat to global health. As the average temperature rises, the diversity
of the cultivated plants diminishes and e.g. the insect-borne diseases are more easily spread. A vicious
circle is created as e.g. floods in Pakistan causes losses in rice crops and therefore affects not only the
producer’s economy, but also the global price and affordability to people in other countries[1].
As said, global health is also a matter of politics and economy. 90 % of the world’s health care resources
are spent on diseases that affect 10 % of the world’s population. HIV/AIDS has been one of the many
epidemic diseases that have had catastrophic impacts on nation’s economy.[2] As the international
cooperation has been emphasized, it is a matter of western world’s stature which is at stake when it comes
to global health problems, prevention of diseases and education on health hazards. Basic health care system
and a decent standard of living pose an ethical and humanitarian incentive for the international community as well.
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