Page 79 - WEF Reoprt 2020

The slowing of However, strained health systems are leading
health progress to worrying trends. Gains in lifespan and
healthspan (the number of years spent in
Global investments in health in recent good health) seem to be slowing in both
decades have yielded substantial gains to developed and developing countries. For
4
both longevity and quality of life. Over the example, recent data published by the
long history of our species, the average Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
life expectancy at birth for people in most shows that US life expectancy declined in
societies ranged from 20 to 50 years. Since 2017 for the third year in a row, the longest
1950, this has improved significantly—to sustained drop for a century—since the
72 years globally, of which 63 years on combined effects of World War I and a global
1
average are lived in good health, free of influenza pandemic. In Singapore, although
5
disease or disability (see Figure 6.1). 2 life expectancy has increased since 1990,
people are spending more of their lives in
Many factors have contributed to this sickness. Disparities in health outcomes
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success: scientific breakthroughs; better persist within and across countries. A
hygiene, sanitation and nutrition; health baby born in Hong Kong SAR can expect
policies and investments made possible to live for 85 years, versus just 52 years in
by prosperity; international cooperation; the Central African Republic (Figure 6.1).
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and individual choices. Vaccines illustrate Meanwhile, rich-poor health gaps are
this point: after germ theory took hold in growing in countries including the United
the late 19 century, scientists developed Kingdom and the United States. 8
th
vaccines for many deadly infectious
diseases including smallpox, measles,
polio, pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus and Pressures on health systems
tuberculosis. Smallpox—once among the
deadliest diseases—was the first to be Gathering pressures are straining health
eradicated by national programmes and systems on many fronts. In this section, we
international cooperation in surveillance and discuss long-standing challenges as well as
containment, reinforced by people’s trust the next generation of health pressures that
in health systems and their willingness to health systems are now confronting.
be vaccinated. Coordinated immunization
programmes continue to prevent millions of Familiar foes
deaths annually. 3 There is no guarantee that health systems
will continue to improve health, and clear
signs of strain are apparent. Despite historic,
hard-won success against diseases such
FIG U RE 6 .1 as smallpox, some of humanity’s most
Life Expectancy at Birth, 1967–2017 formidable global health threats still linger—
and other threats, thought to have been
Age
quashed, are resurgent.
85
80 Persisting pandemics. Thirty years ago,
75 polio was endemic in 125 countries,
70 causing 350,000 clinical cases per year.
65 After an extraordinary international effort
60 and US$20 billion in investment, today
55 there are 99.9% fewer cases and polio
50 remains endemic in only Afghanistan,
45 Pakistan and possibly Nigeria—where
geopolitical challenges have complicated
40 eradication. Polio could potentially be
9
35
1967 2017 eradicated in the next four years—but the
estimated cost to make that happen would
10
Central African Republic World Hong Kong SAR be another US$4.2 billion. The last mile is
proving the hardest, for reasons including
Source: World Bank Open Data, https://data.worldbank.org/, accessed 15 December 2019. persistent political instability and community

74 False Positive