global-health
Global health examines the health of human populations worldwide, prioritizing equity and the mitigation of threats that cross national boundaries. In plant science, this field is deeply relevant because food security, crop disease outbreaks, and nutritional deficiencies are inherently global challenges—where plant-based solutions, from staple crop improvement to medicinal plant research, can directly address disease burden and malnutrition at scale. Understanding how plants contribute to pharmaceuticals, nutrition, and ecosystem stability is central to achieving the health equity goals that global health research pursues.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-01
A major global health study found that lung infections killed 2.5 million people in 2023, with bacterial pathogens like Streptococcus pneumoniae responsible for the most deaths. While child deaths have dropped since 2010, progress remains far too slow in sub-Saharan Africa and among older adults.
Lower respiratory infections caused 2.5 million deaths and 98.7 million disability-adjusted life years globally in 2023.
Streptococcus pneumoniae accounted for 25.3% of all LRI deaths (634,000), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (10.9%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.1%).
Child deaths from lung infections dropped 33.4% since 2010, yet 75 of 204 countries still exceed the global target of fewer than 60 deaths per 100,000 children under 5.