THIS EDITED VOLUME on urban health issues includes contributions from Latin America, Asia and Africa, with most chapters focusing on a specific city and, in some cases, on a specific health issue.

The book is introduced by editor Rais Akhtar, who provides an overview of urban health issues that includes an historical perspective and an account of the major causes of disease in urban areas. He notes that whilst the majority of studies focus on curative responses to disease, effective solutions must include attention to the larger contexts of urban health and to basic preventive public health approaches.

City overviews, with an emphasis on environmental health, are provided for Calcutta, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Karachi, Lusaka and Ibadan City. Health services are discussed for Northeast Brazil, Khartoum, Nairobi and some Chinese cities. Specific health problems discussed include malaria in urban India, childhood diarrhoea in Lima; and schistosomiasis in Richard-Toll, Senegal. Specific environmental conditions include air pollution in Santiago de Chile, and the effects of low-income housing in Madras. The book finishes with a chapter by Tony McMichael pointing to solutions that require both social change and technological progress.