Health concerns, such as infectious diseases and poverty, have become increasingly oppressive and overwhelming conditions in many developing countries. These conditions have resulted in demographic, social, ecological, political, and cultural changes, which have wide ranging effects in both developed and underdeveloped regions of the world. The study of these conditions and possible solutions is the focus of Global Health.
Recently the terms “Global Health” have replaced the previously used terms, “International Health”. International health compares health systems of countries and was associated with bilateral foreign aid agreements and medical missionary work. Global Health, on the other hand, refers to health problems that transcend national borders and pertains to health problems that can spread from one country to another. It also includes health problems that are of such magnitude that they have the potential for worldwide political and/or economic impact. The Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology encompasses global health programs in: