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Main: Global Health
Destructive Diseases

From the Field

RESOURCE MARCH 19, 2009

The World's Most Destructive Diseases

The impact a disease or chronic condition has on the global population is determined by looking at the number of deaths it causes, as well as the debilitating effects it has on those living with the condition.

» Infectious and parasitic diseases

Non-communicable conditions

Lower respiratory infections Deaths/year: 4.2 Million*

95.4 Million MILLION HEALTHY YEARS LOST*

Lower respiratory tract infections affect the trachea, lungs and bronchi. Cases of pneumonia make up the vast majority of debilitating lower respiratory infections.

Diarrheal diseases Deaths/Year: 2.2 million*

72.8 MILLION MILLION HEALTHY YEARS LOST *

Diarrheal diseases, most commonly caused by gastrointestinal infections, result in loose stool and can cause dehydration and sometimes death. Cholera and dysentery are both common diarrheal diseases.

HIV/AIDS Deaths/Year: 2 million*

58.5 MILLION HEALTHY YEARS LOST*

AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is a life-threatening, infectious disease caused by HIV, a retrovirus that attacks the body's immune system and impairs its ability to fight disease.

Tuberculosis Deaths/Year: 1.5 million*

34.2 MILLION HEALTHY YEARS LOST*

Tuberculosis is a chronic bacterial infection that spreads through the air and primarily affects the lungs. If not treated properly, tuberculosis can affect other organs and lead to death.

Malaria Deaths/Year: 890,000*

34 MILLION HEALTHY YEARS LOST*

Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted between humans by the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito. The disease causes flu-like symptoms and attacks of fever and chills.

*(1) Estimated deaths for 2004, according to the World Health Organization
*(2) DALY, stands for disability adjusted life year, and can be thought of as one year of healthy life lost to a condition. The total DALY number is the number of future years of healthy life lost as the result of premature death or disability. The DALY scores were calculated by the World Health Organization using 2004 mortality and prevalence data.