Since human migrations began, germs have traveled with people, animals and traded goods. In an interconnected and mobile world, diseases such as HIV/AIDS and SARS can spread rapidly. Yet international cooperation through agencies such as the World Health Organization also allows for a collective response to global health threats and faster response times. Nations have developed diverse health care systems, aiming for cost-effective treatment. Yet the diverse systems contribute to disparities in global health, including availability of technology, pharmaceutical companies targeting innovations to maximize profits, and providers abandoning areas of need for higher salaries in the West, just to name a few.

WHO Unveils Plan to Fight HIV and AIDS

'3 by 5' Initiative Aims to Treat 3 Million People by 2005
David Brown
December 1, 2003

India Plans Free AIDS Therapy

Obstacles remain, but program hopefully will start in the spring
Amy Waldman
December 1, 2003

Fast Food Hits Mediterranean; A Diet Succumbs

When given a choice, the young prefer convenience foods instead of healthy Mediterranean diet
Elisabeth Rosenthal
September 30, 2008

Chinese Ordered Cover-Up of Tainted Milk Scandal

Ignoring and covering up mass poisoning of a basic food product will not prevent social unrest
Richard Spencer
September 25, 2008

Saving Face, Not Lives

Worried about ruining the Beijing Olympics, government and dairy officials stayed mum about tainted milk until after the games ended
Anne-Marie Brady
September 23, 2008