World Disasters Report 2000 - Focus on Public Health

While public health has improved dramatically over the last century in much of the developing world, it is under increasing threat as governments retreat from national health provision and look to the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to fill the gap. Diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria have become ongoing disasters – less headline- friendly than sudden natural catastrophes or refugee crises, but far more deadly. In 1999, between 70,000 and 100,000 people were killed by natural disasters, but around 13 million died of infectious diseases.