The health story of the decade is emerging disease, pathogens that creep seemingly from nowhere to cause widespread illness. In Latin American countries, it's cholera. In Kenya, yellow fever. In Costa Rica, dengue fever. These disease epidemics stem from changes in the environment, such as heavy rains or hot temperatures, and human behavior, particularly increased urbanization, which often leads to crowded, unsanitary living conditions.
Drug resistance is another global health problem.
In a handful of countries, roughly half the infections caused by certain streptococcus , staphylococcus , and mycobacterium strains of bacteria are drug resistant. And there are more clouds on the horizon. The shift translates into more people developing chronic conditions prevalent in older adults, including heart disease, depression, lung disease, and brain disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. In combination, emerging diseases, drug resistance, and rising rates of chronic conditions deliver a whopping public health challenge to the developing world, which presents unprecedented health research opportunities for the United States, says Murray. For example, the worldwide increase in age-related diseases means research conducted overseas can be directly applied to health care at home.