An increasing proportion of the Federal budget, however, is dedicated to health issues, and many chronic health issues may relate directly to earth processes and the environment. Strong partnerships with traditional health and environmental agencies will be necessary to collaborate on problem solving.
Infectious disease is the leading cause of human death worldwide.
Gone is the euphoric perspective of the mid-1970's that significant infectious diseases affecting humans in developed Nations were essentially problems of the past. The reemergence of infectious disease has continued to gain momentum since the mid-1980's. Disease events affecting natural resources have paralleled the eruption of infectious disease in human populations. Both situations are reasons for concern and have a common causative bond of ecological change. Ecosystem Health, An Environmental Barometer for Human Health Figure 1.