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  Infectious Diseases
  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infectious diseases claim the lives of some 1500 people per hour. Studies show infectious and parasitic diseases cause 25% of deaths worldwide. Deaths from acute respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, measles, AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis (TB) account for more than 85% of the mortality from infection worldwide (WHO Global Strategy for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance, www.who.int.emc).
 

Infectious diseases put an economic burden on communities. For example, Africa's GDP would be up to $100 billion greater if malaria had been eliminated years ago, and a nation can expect a decline in GDP of 1% per year when more than 20% of the adult population is infected with HIV (WHO Backgrounder No. 1, July 2000).

Increasingly, infectious diseases are becoming global issues as greater numbers of people travel and immigration occurs. Over half of the TB cases in some wealthy countries are found among foreign-born populations. And over 12,000 cases of malaria were reported among European travelers in 1999 (WHO Backgrounder No. 1, July 2000).

The France Foundation recognizes the importance of educational programming in the field of infectious disease. To view available educational activities on infectious diseases, please visit our homepage.

 
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