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The article looks at the potential role of autopsy in improving public health planning in developing countries, focusing on the minimally invasive autopsy (MIA). It notes that in poor countries the cause of a person's death is often unknown and says that full autopsies there are rare, citing factors including high cost, lack of pathologists, and cultural unacceptability. It discusses a study of MIAs in Mozambique led by pediatrician Quique Bassat. Topics include verbal autopsies.

The imperative for improving health in the world's poorest regions lies in research, yet there is no question that low participation, a lack of trained staff, and limited opportunities for data sharing in developing countries impede advances in medical practice and public health knowledge. Extensive studies are essential to develop new treatments and to identify better ways to manage healthcare issues. Recent rapid advances in availability and uptake of digital technologies, especially of mobile networks, have the potential to overcome several barriers to collaborative research in remote places with limited access to resources. Many research groups are already taking advantage of these technologies for data sharing and capture, and these initiatives indicate that increasing acceptance and use of digital technology could promote rapid improvements in global medical science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author looks at antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria, saying that the problem is particularly serious in poorer countries and may lead to a return of higher mortality rates from diseases such as typhoid fever. He emphasizes the need for changes in areas including diagnostic testing of infections and veterinary use of human antibiotics. Genetic aspects of AMR are discussed.

The article discusses a study in a 2018 issue of the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" on antibiotics consumption rates in lower-income countries as a consequence of economic growth.

The article discusses the global HIV/AIDS policy and its impact on public health. According to officials of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the global incidence of HIV infections peaked in the late 1990s as a result of natural trends in the HIV epidemic and prevention programs. Other factors reported for the decline of new cases, as of 2007, are the use of antiretroviral therapies (ARTs). An overview of how the trend of declining HIV infections necessitates a re-balancing in global health funding between AIDS treatment and HIV prevention is presented, which includes a discussion on the costs of universal access treatment, allocation of health assistance to developing countries, and how countries maximize a population's health status for a given amount of funding.

The article looks at the incidence and treatment of insect-borne kinetoplastid diseases including leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, noting their presence in developing countries and the lack of well-tolerated drug treatments for them, and citing an article on the topic in the current issue.