“The epidemiological transition of the late twentieth century has created a dual burden of disease. While wealthier nations grapple with the high costs of managing chronic, non-communicable conditions like Alzheimer's disease and coronary heart disease—diseases of longevity that have emerged as primary causes of death due to increased life expectancy—developing nations continue to face high mortality rates from infectious diseases. This divergence is not merely biological; it is structured by unequal access to medical technologies, clean water, and healthcare infrastructure, demonstrating that the benefits of globalization are unevenly distributed.”
—Adapted from a report by the World Health Organization, 2004
Based on the passage and your knowledge of world history, which of the following best explains the global divergence in disease patterns during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries?
- Increased life expectancy in wealthy regions led to a rise in chronic diseases of longevity, while structural inequalities limited the access of poorer regions to life-saving medical technologies.Answer
- BThe global spread of agricultural developments under the Green Revolution successfully eliminated nutritional deficiencies and infectious diseases in developing nations.
- CThe homogenization of global culture led to identical dietary and lifestyle choices, resulting in uniform rates of non-communicable diseases worldwide.
- DThe disparities in disease patterns were the direct result of the sixteenth-century Columbian Exchange, which permanently established different biological tolerances between hemispheres.