This book is an overview of an intelligence assessment on the connections between health and U.S. national interests. Highly publicized virulent infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, a potential influenza pandemic, and "mystery" illnesses such as the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) remain the most direct health-related threats to the U.S., but are not the only health indicators with strategic significance. Chronic, non-communicable diseases, neglected tropical diseases, maternal and child mortality, malnutrition, sanitation and access to clean water and availability of basic health-care also affect the U.S. national interest through their impacts on the economies, governments and militaries of key countries and regions. Considerable empirical and theoretical studies have demonstrated the links between the health of a population and its economic growth and development. An unhealthy labor force is logically less capable of engaging in physical labor, but the impact of poor health on cognitive ability is becoming particularly important as countries develop services and other sectors dependent upon intellectual capital to generate productivity and growth. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.
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