Here is a clear, wide-ranging introduction to the worldwide state of human health. Starting with a brief history of modern medical progress, Shereen Usdin then untangles the knot created by poverty and globalization to show that where you live, how wealthy you are, and your gender all have a bearing on the diseases you may encounter in your lifetime - and your prospects for prevention, treatment, and ultimately, survival.

Pulling no punches, Usdin also blows the whistle on the political economy of illness and how keeping people sick means more money for the pharmaceutical, tobacco, and food industries. ThisNo-Nonsense Guideis a must-read for anyone who wants a clear sense of how healthy our global family really is.

A thorough assessment of the health of the world, thisNo-Nonsense Guideunveils the inequities that keep some people healthy and so many more sick.

Foreword by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Introduction
Chapter 1
No 'Health for All' by 21stcentury
Chapter 2
Globalization: the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Chapter 3
The politics of patents
Chapter 4
The politics of gender
Chapter 5
The emergence of old and new epidemics
Chapter 6
Non-communicable 'pandemics': the high price of Big Business
Chapter 7
The big fix
Resources and contacts
Index