Chapter 1: Major Infectious Diseases: Key Messages From Disease Control Priorities

This report chapter summarizes key findings from the sixth volume of the Disease Control Priorities, third edition (DCP3) series, which examines the burden of infectious diseases—still the leading cause of death globally, especially for children and adolescents. This report identifies feasible and cost-effective platforms to prevent and treat diseases like HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, malaria, adult febrile illness, viral hepatitis, and tropical diseases. This volume also emphasizes the importance of addressing antimicrobial resistance, developing innovative prevention and treatment approaches, and increasing access to stronger health systems. This chapter includes a glossary of helpful terms and abbreviations related to infectious disease, and data tables that detail essential interventions for each major infectious disease.

The Disease Control Priorities Network (DCP) promotes and supports the use of economic evaluation for priority setting at both global and national levels, providing the most up-to-date evidence on intervention efficacy and program effectiveness for the leading causes of global disease burden. DCP3 presents its findings in nine individual volumes; the first eight focus on conceptually related health challenges—essential surgery, maternal/child health, cancer, mental and neurological disorders, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, major infectious diseases, injury prevention, and child and adolescent development—and each package addresses the disease burden, interventions, policies, and economics of that cluster of health issues. The ninth volume provides an overview with main findings and conclusions about achieving health priorities. DCP3 chapters, background papers, articles, reports, briefs, and related resources are publicly accessible.