World Health Statistics 2009 contains WHO's annual compilation of data from its 193 member states, and includes a summary of progress towards the health-related millennium development goals and targets. This edition also contains a new section on reported cases of selected infectious diseases. It provides a comprehensive summary of the current status of national health and health systems including; mortality and burden of disease, causes of death, reported infectious diseases, health service coverage, risk factors, health systems resources, health expenditures, inequities and demographic and socioeconomic statistics. The section on inequities presents statistics on the distribution of selected health outcomes and interventions within countries, disaggregated by sex, age, urban and rural settings, wealth, and educational level. WHO presents World Health Statistics 2009 as an integral part of its ongoing effort to inform better measures of population health and national health systems.

This book focuses on health and its relationship with education and equity in trade. The environmental impact on health is thoroughly analysed, with particular reference to tsunamis, deforestation and diminishing water supplies. It suggest solutions at individual, community and government levels.

Over 1,100 delegates from a hundred countries attended the 9th World Conference onTobaccoandHealth. Afterfivedaysofdebate, severalimportantresolutionswereadopted unanimously and will be landmarks in the fight against tobacco. This great success is due to three facts which emerged from the discussions: 1. Itappears clearlynowthattherisksassociated withtobaccoaremuchgreaterthan previously assumed. Out of two regular smokers, one will die from a tobacco related disease. 2. Reducing tobacco consumption can be achieved but the data collected in several countriesshowthatitrequiresaglobalstrategy. Thisstrategywasmuchdebatedduring theconference. Theresolutionsadoptedemphasizetheagreementofthedelegateson themainpoints. Actionto fight thegrowingepidemicoftobacco-attributabledisease and death involves convincing the general public, the medical community and decision-makers ofthe need to act for tobacco control. The most efficient tools for helping individuals never to start or successfully to stop using tobacco should be developed; effective tobacco control endeavors are required to counteractthe actions ofthe powerful and influential tobacco manufacturers. With the help and under the aegis ofWHO, DICC, IUATLD, ISFC, IOCD, and IUHPE, an international alliance for health and against tobacco shouldunite all those who are engaged in this fight.

Strategic health planning, the cornerstone of initiatives designed to achieve health improvement goals around the world, requires an understanding of the comparative burden of diseases and injuries, their corresponding risk factors and the likely effects of invervention options. The Global Burden of Disease framework, originally published in 1990, has been widely adopted as the preferred method for health accounting and has become the standard to guide the setting of health research priorities. This publication sets out an updated assessment of the situation, with an analysis of trends observed since 1990 and a chapter on the sensitivity of GBD estimates to various sources of uncertainty in methods and data.

Of the ten most common causes of death in industrialized countries, at least two-thirds are lifestyle related (i.e. poor nutrition, physical inactivity, overweight/obesity, cigarette smoking, alcohol/drug abuse and the environment, among others).The rapidly expanding elder population will put further demands on health care systems already burdened by the elderly and the poor. However, increasing age need not be associated with expanding health care costs if people improve their lifestyles.Healthier lifestyles would signficantly reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, cataract and macular degeneration, among others. Moreover, they would significantly increase life expectancy and the quality of life. This invaluable book reviews the scientific medical evidence for the benefits of healthy lifestyles on aging, numerous diseases/disorders, and reduction of medical costs.

The fascinating stories of public health innovators who overcame immense obstacles to improve the health of millions. In the nineteenth century, the scourge of deadly infectious diseases permanently receded for the first time in human history while longevity steadily improved. This progress was due in large part to advances in the public health field, including improved sanitation and cleaner water. Progress in health and longevity continued through the twentieth century, again thanks in part to public health advances in safer food, access to nursing care, an understanding of health disparities, reduced tobacco use, and a global network for vaccine distribution. In The Struggle for Public Health, Fred C. Pampel shares the stories of public health innovators who, over a period of 150 years, helped save lives and change the way we live. These engaging stories feature scientific discoveries, strong personalities, and new forms of social behavior. But these changes did not come without struggle: public health advances met vigorous resistance from vested interests in the status quo, attachment to deeply embedded but false beliefs, and the sheer difficulty of creating large-scale changes in public behavior. This well-researched and historically grounded volume chronicles the fascinating lives of seven advocates for public health progress, including a London bureaucrat who devoted his life to cleaning up filthy streets and neighborhoods, an activist nurse who provided first-rate care and health guidance to newly arrived immigrants, and the organizational genius who overcame limited funding, bureaucratic inertia, and political infighting to deliver vaccines across the world. It features public health innovations developed by Edwin Chadwick, John Snow, Harvey Wiley, Lillian Wald, W.E.B. Du Bois, Richard Doll, and D. A. Henderson. The inspiring stories in The Struggle for Public Health offer insights on past advances and the potential for future solutions that could save lives and improve the quality of life for millions of people.