The World Health Organization (WHO) 2012 Global Report for Research on Infectious Diseases of Poverty says infectious diseases remain key agents of the debilitating poverty afflicting so much of the world today.

The report, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday says, each year these diseases kill almost nine million people, many of them children under five, and they also cause enormous burdens through life-long disability.

It notes that stepping up research into their causes and how to effectively treat them and prevent them from spreading can have an enormous impact on efforts to lift people out of poverty and to build a better world for future generations.

The report outlines ten areas where research on infectious diseases of poverty can make major improvements; these form the framework for the rest of the report.

It also focuses on specific themes: the environment, health systems, and innovation and technology.

Implementation of the actions proposed in this report should help improve current research prioritization processes, guide investment strategies and enhance commitment to using research to promote global health equity.

Like the Millennium Development Goals, these options for action are focused on by policy-makers, funders and researchers, they should lead to well-planned, effective, and powerful health interventions and have a real chance of saving millions of lives in years to come.

The global report for research on infectious diseases of poverty is an independent publication comprising different viewpoints written by expert authors.

It was initiated and facilitated by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, supported by the European Commission, and based on wide contributions from stakeholders at various stages of the work.

It offers new ways of improving public health in low and middle income countries, with research as the compelling foundation and driver for policies.