Chronic, disabling diseases deter self-sufficiency and economic progress. New and reemerging diseases with the greatest economic impact in developing countries are HIV AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Assistance is also directed to developing epidemiological skills and disease control, and to fostering of immunization, health education, and risk-behavior modification. Effective in-country epidemiological surveillance systems are crucial, yet very difficult to create and sustain. Special surveillance systems for rare diseases may not be practical over the long term.
Health systems are only one weapon in the fight against emerging infectious diseases.
There is growing evidence that complex issues of human behavior, economic development, and the environment contribute to the emergence and spread of diseases. This strategy prevents the emergence and reemergence of other diseases, like tuberculosis. Therefore including local women in the design and implementation of efforts to reduce the disease is essential. Over time, all bacteria will develop some degree of resistance to antibiotics. This makes it certain that severe problems will occur in the future from drug-resistant bacteria.