01235nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001653001700042653001100059653002200070653001800092653002500110653002400135653002600159100001000185245009200195300001200287490000700299520070900306022001401015       2007                            d10aSocial Class10aHumans10aHealth Priorities10aHealth Policy10aDeveloping countries10aDeveloped Countries10aCommunicable Diseases1 aMay R00aParasites, people and policy: infectious diseases and the Millennium Development Goals.  a497-5030 v223 a<p>Here, I briefly review past history and present patterns in the interactions between parasites (defined broadly to include viruses and bacteria along with protozoan, helminth and arthropod parasites) and human populations in developed and developing countries. Against this background, I offer thoughts on current public health initiatives at national and international levels, with particular reference to the Millennium Development Goals. The news is both good and bad: mortality and morbidity from infectious diseases in the developing world are significantly lower than they were 50 years ago, but we should and could be doing better, particularly in relation to neglected tropical diseases.</p>
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