By VOA News
23 August 2007
The World Health Organization says infectious diseases are spreading around the world at a faster rate than ever before, making them more difficult to treat.
In its annual World Health Report, issued Thursday, the United Nations agency says one or more new diseases have been identified every year since the 1970s, a rate it says is "unprecedented."
The agency also says efforts to control such well-known diseases as tuberculosis have been compromised as they evolve into stronger, more drug-resistant forms.
WHO says the spread of infectious diseases is due to the growth of international air travel over the last 50 years. It has confirmed more than 1,100 outbreaks of different diseases over the past five years alone.
WHO is urging greater cooperation among its 193 members in reporting health outbreaks and sharing viruses to help develop vaccines.
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