ABSTRACT
Health is one area where measurable and undeniable progress has been achieved in every country since the end of World War II. The incidence of major epidemic diseases and once-dreaded killers, such as plague, smallpox and malaria, is down in almost all countries. There are more hospitals and more trained professionals to staff them, more medical research and more transfer of medical technology, and more people covered by medical insurance than at any time in history. Until defense was the major item in every national budget, but with the end of the Cold War, national budget, social expenditures have taken a larger slice of the budget pie. Public health expenditures represent current and capital expenditures by governments for medical care and other health services. The birth weight of children as well as their weight during the early years of life has a bearing on their general health. Malnutrition begins in the womb and general health.
