Pathogen spillover in a seasonal cholera model.

The history of war is replete with examples of novel diseases that have suddenly and unexpectedly erupted into human consciousness. As we noted in Section2.2, ancient Greek historians such as Herodotus, Thucydides, and Diodorus Siculus provide classical accounts of the devastation wrought by mysterious war pestilences—diseases which, in many instances, elude classification in modern disease systems, and to which the appellation ‘antique plague’ is occasionally given (Smallman-Raynor and Cliff 2004b: 66–73). In more recent times, we saw in Table 1.7 how maladies such as the idiopathic English sweating sickness, along with venereal syphilis, typhus fever, and yellow fever, appeared— ostensibly for the first time—in association with wars of the late medieval and early modern periods. In the twentieth century, trench fever (World War I, 1914–18), scrub typhus (World War II, 1939–45), and Korean haemorrhagic fever (Korean War, 1950–3) provide further instances of the emergence phenomenon (Macpherson et al. 1922–3; Philip 1948; Gajdusek 1956). In addition to sponsoring apparently wholly new conditions, military conflict has also promoted the re-emergence of many infectious and parasitic diseases. Recent examples include African trypanosomiasis (Ugandan Civil War, 1979–86; Berrang Ford 2007), diphtheria and tuberculosis (Tajikistan Civil War, 1992–7; Keshavjee and Becerra 2000; Usmanov et al. 2000) and epidemic louse-borne typhus fever (Burundian Civil War, 1993–2005; Raoult, Ndihokubwayo, et al. 1998). Figure 8.1 illustrates schematically the sample factors that underpin the warrelated emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases. As Price-Smith (2002: 129) observes, military conflict acts ‘as a direct disease ‘‘amplifier,’’ creating those physical conditions (poverty, famine, destruction of vital infrastructure, and large population movements) that are particularly conducive to the spread and mutation of disease’. High-level population mobility and mixing, differential patterns of disease exposure and susceptibility, the breakdown of public health infrastructure, and insanitary living conditions are all pertinent to an understanding of the (re-)emergence complex (Lederberg et al. 1992: 110–12). Additional factors also attain prominence. Within the schema of Figure 8.1, heightened exposure to the zoonotic pool has played a particularly important role in the war-related precipitation of disease emergence and re-emergence.

No abstract available.

The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases and their rapid dissemination worldwide are challenging national health systems, particularly in developing countries affected by extreme poverty and environmental degradation. The expectations that new vaccines and drugs and global surveillance would help reverse these trends have been frustrated thus far by the complexity of the epidemiological transition, despite promising prospects for the near future in biomolecular research and genetic engineering. This impasse raises crucial issues concerning conceptual frameworks supporting priority-setting, risk anticipation, and the transfer of science and technology's results to society. This article discusses these issues and the limitations of social and economic sciences on the one hand and ecology on the other as the main theoretical references of the health sciences in confronting the complexity of these issues on their own. The tension between these historically dissociated paradigms is discussed and a transdisciplinary approach is proposed, that of social ecosystem health, incorporating these distinct perspectives into a comprehensive framework.

Challenges posed by new and re-emerging infectious diseases in livestock production, wildlife and humans

Improved sanitation, increased access to health care, and advances in preventive and clinical medicine have reduced the mortality and morbidity rates of several infectious diseases. However, recent outbreaks of several emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) have caused substantial mortality and morbidity, and the frequency of these outbreaks is likely to increase due to pathogen, environmental, and population effects driven by climate change. Extreme or persistent changes in temperature, precipitation, humidity, and air pollution associated with climate change can, for example, expand the size of EID reservoirs, increase host–pathogen and cross-species host contacts to promote transmission or spillover events, and degrade the overall health of susceptible host populations leading to new EID outbreaks. It is therefore vital to establish global strategies to track and model potential responses of candidate EIDs to project their future behaviour and guide research efforts on early detection and diagnosis technologies and vaccine development efforts for these targets. Multi-disciplinary collaborations are demanding to develop effective inter-continental surveillance and modelling platforms that employ artificial intelligence to mitigate climate change effects on EID outbreaks. In this review, we discuss how climate change has increased the risk of EIDs and describe novel approaches to improve surveillance of emerging pathogens that pose the risk for EID outbreaks, new and existing measures that could be used to contain or reduce the risk of future EID outbreaks, and new methods to improve EID tracking during further outbreaks to limit disease transmission.

Biosafety and Biosecurity Measures Against Covid-19 and Other High-Risk Zoonotic Diseases

Infectious disease is still a major threat in the world today. Five decades ago, it was considered soon to be eradicated, but the adaptation of pathogens to environmental pressure, such as antimicrobials, encouraged the emergence and reemergence of infectious disease. The fight with infectious disease starts with prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Diagnosis can be upheld by observing the cause of disease under the microscope or detecting the presence of nucleic acid and proteins of the pathogens. The molecular techniques span from classical polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to sequencing the nucleic acid composition. Here, we are reviewing the works have been undertaken to utilize a portable sequencer, MinION, in various aspects of infectious disease management.

Chapter 19 - Computational biology and biosensors as surveillance tools for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases

Global Climate Changes and International Trade and Travel: Effects on Human Health Outcomes

Now-a-days emerging and re-emerging infections worldwide are becoming the utmost problem for the development of mankind. Many different infections are considered to be zoonotic for humans (transferred from animals to humans). Emerging infections are those which are completely new contagion and affected new geographical locations. Infections are thought to be re-emerging that were important health problem globally or in a specific region, then diminished and once again appear and become the health issues for vast number of population. Although, zoonotic infective agents are most probably thought to be the cause of emergence and re-emergence of communicable diseases.

New emerging zoonoses: a challenge and an opportunity for the veterinary profession

The mass movement of migrants to Malaysia for employment is one of the factors contributing to the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases in this country. Despite mandatory health screening for migrants seeking employment, prevalence records of infectious diseases amongst migrant populations in Malaysia are still within negligible proportions. Therefore, the present review highlights the incidence, mortality and overall status of infectious diseases amongst migrants' populations in Malaysia, which maybe be useful for impeding exacerbation of inequalities among them and improving our national health system thru robust and effective emergency responses in controlling the prevalent diseases found among these populations and maybe, Malaysian citizens too. Peer-reviewed articles from January 2016 to December 2020 were searched through online platform including SCOPUS, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Non-peer-reviewed reports and publications from ministry and government websites including data from related agencies were also scoured from in order to ensure that there are no cases being overlooked, as most published articles did not have migrants as the research subjects. A total of 29 studies had been selected in the final analysis. Migrants in Malaysia were at higher risk for tuberculosis, malaria, lymphatic filariasis, cholera, leprosy and leptospirosis. Lymphatic filariasis was still endemic among this population while thousand cases of TB and cholera had been reported among them due to cramp living conditions and poor sanitation in their settlements respectively. While malaria had gradually decreased and become sporadic, the influx of migrant workers had led to the rising of imported malaria cases. Low cases of leprosy had been recorded in Malaysia but a significant proportion of it was contributed by migrant workers. As for leptospirosis, studies found that there are prominent cases among migrant workers, which particularly highest within workers with lower educational attainment. Infectious diseases are still prevalent among migrants in Malaysia due to various interplay factors including their working sectors, country of origin, immunization status, type of settlement, impoverished living conditions, and language and cultural barriers that impeding access to health facilities.

Interplay between environment, agriculture and infectious diseases of poverty: Case studies in China

A large number of emerging infectious diseases (including influenza epidemics) has been identified during the last century. The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases have a negative imp ...

BackgroundStates are key actors in global health governance, particularly in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases in recent decades pose profound challenges to global health security. As the first coronavirus pandemic, the COVID-19 caused significant damage worldwide, but responses and outcomes varied greatly among states. Using COVID-19 as an example, this study aims to compare the policies and measures implemented by different states during the COVID-19 pandemic and to synthesize experiences to strengthen global health governance for future infectious disease crises.MethodsWe used Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage scoping review framework and PRISMA methodology was used for literature search and decision on relevant studies. English databases were searched using combinations of keywords and articles examining COVID-19 prevention and control policies in representative countries were included. A comparative analysis across these four states (United States, Sweden, India, and Nigeria) was then conducted to analyse the differences, rationale, and challenges of the approaches taken by these states.ResultsA total of 36 studies were included in the analysis. The management of the COVID-19 by states is divided into two main categories: domestic governance and international governance. Domestically, the United States and India have taken more measures, yet notable disparities in infection source control, transmission interruption, vulnerable population protection, collaborative governance, and so on were observed among all four states. Globally, the United States and Sweden were more proactive in international governance, and all four states have variations in their adherence to global regulations, information sharing, resource distribution, and cooperative engagement.ConclusionsSignificant disparities occurred during the response to early COVID-19 in four states, which may be due to differences in politics, economy, and culture. To prevent and mitigate the impact of infectious diseases, states should, in future, prioritize solidarity and cooperation, and improve governance domestically and internationally based on national contexts and global health principles.