Global health report. A snapshot of the payer systems, major diseases and workforce trends from around the world.

This snapshot of global health issues looks at payer systems from a cross section of nations, lists the world's eight most infectious diseases and their rate of incidence by region, and pays special attention to the shortage of health care workers.

Abstract

International trade and travel have rendered political and geographic boundaries irrelevant when it comes to diseases. HIV and SARS are among the more recent examples of deadly viruses that spread swiftly from one continent to the next before international health experts can identify them, much less begin to search for a cure. This snapshot of global health issues looks at payer systems from a cross section of nations, lists the world's eight most infectious diseases and their rate of incidence by region, and pays special attention to the shortage of health care workers, which has reached crisis proportions in many areas and is pitting nation against nation in the competition for qualified staff.