Why people die worldwide?

Nov 3, 2007 09:26 GMT  ·  By

We are accustomed to the official maps, which represent each country directly connected to its surface. That is a real map of the planet. But what if we tried to draw a map which would be directly proportional to the population size of each country?

The result is an extremely 'swollen' China or India, a relatively 'swollen' Europe and a significantly shrunk America, as you can see on this site.

This is the result of a collaboration between teams at the University of Sheffield in England and the University of Michigan, using 2002 statistics data furnished by the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Burden of Disease project.

This is how we got "death maps", showing us why the 57 million annual deaths occur worldwide.

If you live in US or Europe, you may have never heard of anybody dying of flue. But look on the map of the Often Preventable Deaths: 32 % of the annual deaths are caused by infections and parasites, respiratory infections (22% of these deaths are caused indeed by colds and flues), maternal conditions (women dying by complications before, during and after childbirth), perinatal deaths of the offspring (before or within one week of birth), and malnutrition/subnutrition (shortage of food overall or proteins, vitamins and minerals).

Well in this case, Africa would turns into the biggest country represented on that map. India would be next, but this is somehow proportional with its huge population, while the Americas and Europe almost disappear.

This is "characteristic of populations that have not gone through the epidemiological transition to high life expectancy with most disease concentrated in older years," Colin Douglas Mathers, the WHO official responsible for the Global Burden of Disease data, wrote to National Geographic. "Such populations, typically in India and Africa, are characterized by high infant and child mortality, high maternal mortality, and high levels of infectious diseases."

The map of deaths caused by AIDS shows a world made by 80 % from Africa, followed by two tabs: India and Indochina (Thailand). Of Americas, only Haiti has been left. The rest of the world is gone. In fact, 6,000 Africans have just died of AIDS, that from midnight till the moment this article became available to you and now you're reading it.

What about deaths from non-infectious diseases? They're the cause of 59 % annual deaths - here we're talking about cancers (21%), diabetes and hormonal conditions (4%), brain and mental conditions (3%), cardiovascular diseases (50%), respiratory diseases (11%) and others. The 'swelling' of the real territory on that map shows it: this is why people die mainly in developed nations (North America, Europe, Japan).

Where does tobacco smoking make most victims? Look at the map of the lung cancer deaths (12 % pf the annual deaths): there's only the Northern Hemisphere left: US, Europe, India, China and Japan. Lung cancer is also connected to pollution (and indirectly to industrial development) with asbestos, iron oxides, chromium, and radioactivity.

A murder map shows a significant swelling in South America and Africa (that would be 1% of the annual deaths).

Which are the most depressed and unhappy people? The suicide deaths map shows you: 1.6 % of the annual deaths are suicides and the major swells are detected in the case of India, China and ... of course, Japan.

[img=8]0.3 % of the annual deaths occur in war areas or due to land mines in former conflict areas. The world has swollen in a massive Africa (with two mains actors: Zaire and Sudan), and a few satellites: Columbia, Russia, Bosnia and some Asian countries.

Photo Gallery (7 Images)

Populational map
The map of Often Preventable DeathsThe map of AIDS deaths
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