Preface xv 13, 14, and 15, all of which demand that we take collective action to protect life on earth and below water and slow climate change for the survival of the earth and its people. The UN recognizes that human life is bound to the natural world of which it is an integral part. ORGANIZATION OF THIS WORK The entries in these volumes are grounded in the core values outlined above. Included in the first volume are 150 entries on topics central to understanding global health in both breadth and depth as well as closer looks at more specific topics that are of high interest and offer meaningful linkages with broader mate- rial. Each entry synthesizes the most current research and best practices related to the subject and takes into account relevant cultural and historical contexts. Close attention is given to health disparities and the social determinants of health as well as issues of social and environmental justice. The UN SDGs are threaded throughout and between the entries, creating an interconnected set of references that provide a view of global health that is at once broad and detailed. The first volume likewise contains several interviews with global health practitioners from many disciplines and experiential perspectives, from nurses serving Indig- enous populations and international health communicators to the president of an NGO serving in Honduras. These interviews provide readers aspiring toward global health careers with invaluable resources to inform their future decisions. The second volume of this work is an encyclopedic nation-by-nation survey of global health. Drawing on the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD 2019), the most current resources from the WHO and global health research, as well as cur- rent events, each entry details the disease burden, health care resources, nutri- tional status, mental health, and unique challenges of each country. Across both volumes, references and sources have been chosen to amplify Indigenous and regional voices as well as the voices of women. For current health events, local news sources have been chosen over global ones, and regional authors over those writing from the outside. All care has been taken to highlight challenges to health and well-being as defined by the WHO and UN while honoring the integrity and dignity of the countries and people being discussed. Special emphasis has been placed on environmental degradation and the emergence of zoonotic diseases, including COVID-19—the advent of which directly impacted the writing of these volumes. While the resolution and full impacts of COVID-19 are yet to unfold, the pandemic has already revealed the primal importance of global health in all its aspects, including the importance of leaving no one behind. Humans, life on land and below the water, the earth—our collective survival requires health and sustainability for all. Brenda S. Gardenour Walter Further Reading Farmer, P. E. (May 29, 2004). “Global Health Equity.” Lancet 363, no. 9423: 1832. Retrieved from: https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736 (04)16325-3.pdf
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