[Global health situation with emphasis on selected parasitic infections in Poland]

The evolution of some attempts to improve the global health situation is reviewed and realisation of the declaration of Millenium Developmental Goals is being discussed. Improved health care and education have been finally accepted as the mile stones of the global development. However, the obstacles to achieve better global health are as follows: global health services crisis, optimal health development strategy in various countries still discussed, insufficient population education and involvement in health matters. In Poland endemic malaria and Taenia solium infections have been eradicated. The incidence of geohelminthoses is substantially reduced. The major parasitological problems now are imported parasitoses (mainly malaria) and infections of zoonotic origin (trichinellosis, alveolar and cystic echinococcoses as well as toxoplasmosis and toxocarosis). Effective control of these parasitoses depends much on more professional teaching and training of health personnel in medical parasitology, better health education of population at large and more active surveilance and control interventions of sanitary-epidemiological services.