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Presents the main findings of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, undertaken at the request of the World Bank & conducted with the collaboration of the World Health Organization. The GBD assessed global health needs in 1990, & projected trends to the year 2020. Its approach to measuring health status differs from earlier ones because it takes into account not only the burden due to premature death but also that caused by nonfatal health outcomes. The GBD is expressed in a single indicator -- the DALY (Disability Adjusted Life Year) -- which sums the number of years lost due to premature death & the number of years lived with a disability. Findings from the GBD offered significant surprises, which challenge the traditional emphasis of public health policy on infectious diseases. Results highlighted that (1) the epidemiological transition was already well advanced in developing regions; (2) the burden due to mental illness, eg, depression, alcohol dependence, & schizophrenia, has been vastly underestimated; & (3) injuries present an important burden, particularly among young adult males worldwide. 6 Tables, 3 Figures, 17 References. Adapted from the source document.