Global Health

Global health is the study and action on health issues that cross borders — infectious disease outbreaks, vaccine delivery, nutrition, maternal and child survival, non-communicable diseases, climate and health, and access to medicines. It matters to India because no disease respects a passport and because health is one of the strongest drivers of economic development.

India's place in global health

• India is the world's largest producer of vaccines and generic medicines — supplying much of the low- and middle-income world.
• India carries a very large share of global TB, rheumatic heart disease and under-5 anaemia.
• India's health decisions — from iodisation of salt to the expansion of immunisation, to smoke-free laws — have influenced countries across the region.
• Climate and air-pollution effects on Indian health now affect global emission debates.

Major themes

• Communicable diseases — TB, HIV, malaria, hepatitis, respiratory infections.
• Maternal, newborn and child health — safe pregnancy, childhood immunisation, nutrition.
• Non-communicable diseases — heart disease, diabetes, cancer, mental health — now the leading causes of death globally, including in India.
• Health systems — workforce, primary care, essential medicines, emergency care.
• Antimicrobial resistance.
• Pandemic preparedness and cross-border disease surveillance.
• Climate change and health — heat, air pollution, vector-borne disease shifts.

What an individual can take from this

Get routine vaccinations — for yourself and your children. Don't self-medicate antibiotics. Take action on the NCD risks above (heart, diabetes, cancer, mental health). Support public health in your community — clean water, sanitation, indoor air, and immunisation coverage save millions of lives quietly each year.