Here you can download different charts about cases by world region, prevalence rates, and progress towards polio eradication and much more. Polio is an infectious disease that is caused and transmitted by the poliovirus. Most infections do not lead to any symptoms, but—among the unvaccinated— ... between 1 in 50 and 1 in 500 infections result in paralysis. For some it leads to death. At the start of the 20th century, polio was endemic worldwide, with large epidemic outbreaks every year. But with the development of two vaccines in the 1950s, countries began eliminating polio one by one. more

The article "Cardiovascular Diseases" on Our World in Data provides an in-depth analysis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of death globally. It examines CVD trends, such as the decline in mortality rates in high-income countries due to improved healthcare and lifestyle changes, wh ... ile low- and middle-income countries experience rising CVD burdens. The article highlights major risk factors, including high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, and poor diet. It emphasizes the importance of preventive measures and access to treatment to reduce global disparities in CVD outcomes. The data-driven approach uses visualizations to illustrate the global impact and distribution of CVD. more

In 2019, the Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health concluded that taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages were a highly effective but greatly underused policy tool to reduce consumption, save lives, and raise domestic resources. The Task Force estimated that if all countries increa ... sed their excise taxes to raise prices by 50 percent, over 50 million premature deaths could be averted worldwide over the next 50 years while raising over USD 20 trillion of additional revenue. Since the Task Force first convened, the world has faced a “polycrisis,” including a global pandemic, an economic recession, and the outbreak of wars in Europe and the Middle East. Against this backdrop, the world has also experienced prolonged health and fiscal crises. Health systems, weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic, lack sufficient financing to rebuild and respond to the surging noncommunicable diseases epidemic caused by uncontrolled risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and sugar consumption. Opportunities to raise domestic resources are limited and debt burdens have squeezed budgets. The period from 2019 to 2027 risks becoming a “lost decade” for health and social policies, with 110 countries facing little prospect of any ability to raise government revenues beyond current levels. In this paper, we describe the current health and fiscal crises and review the contribution that health taxes could make in turning around this dire situation. We conclude that taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages are an ideal policy solution—good for the budget and good for health. These taxes are relatively quick to implement, and, unlike other taxes, do not put economic growth at risk—a vital benefit in the current era. more