1.1. INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDS) are a disease of infectious origin whose incidence in humans has increased within the recent past threatens to increase in the near future. Over 30 new infectious agents have been detected worldwide in the last three decades; 60% of these are of zoonotic origin, and more than 2-3rds of these have originated in the wildlife (Dikid et al., 2013). The inevitable, but unpredictable, appearance of new infectious diseases has been recognized for millennia, well before the discovery of causative infectious agents. The ease of world travel and increased global independence has added layers of complexity to containing these infectious diseases that affect not only the health but the economic stability of societies (Morens et al., 2013). Infectious diseases represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality among the general population, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, pharmaceutical companies have been motivated to develop new antimicrobial drugs in recent years, especially due to the constant emergence of microorganisms resistant to conventional antimicrobials (Silva et al., 2010). Most of the reemerging infectious disease agents first appeared long ago, but have survived and persisted by adapting to changing human populations and to environment that have been altered by humans, Dengue virus and West Nile Virus (WNV), distantly related flavi viruses, serve as good examples (Laughlin et al., 2012). Bacterial infections can cause some of the most deadly diseases and widespread epidemics in the world. Within increase in resistance to develop novel approaches and new antibacterial agents as alternatives to existing antimicrobial therapies (Liu et al., 2011).... ... middle of paper ... ...012). It is known that one of the active constituents of the medicinal plant Couroupita guianensis, namely isatin, is known to exert cytotoxic activity against certain cancer cell lines, being a potential source of new chemotherapeutic agents (Gousia et al., 2013). Isatin is an endogenous compound identified in humans. Biological properties of isatin include the brain and offer protection against certain types of infections. Isatin constitutes an important class of bioactive compounds exhibiting caspase inhibitor, antibacterial and antiproliferative activity (Kiran et al., 2013). Isatin is also found in plants of the Isatis genus, Courouita guianensis Aubl. and Calanthe discolor Lindl., and is secreted from the parotid gland of Bufo frogs. Various derivatives of isatin have also been identified in plants for example, the melosatin alkaloid (Bacani et al., 2011).
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has presented many problems in our society, including an increased chance of fatality due to infections that could have otherwise been treated with success. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, but overexposure to these drugs give the bacteria more opportunities to mutate, forming resistant strains. Through natural selection, those few mutated bacteria are able to survive treatments of antibiotics and then pass on their genes to other bacterial cells through lateral gene transfer (Zhaxybayeva, 2011). Once resistance builds in one patient, it is possible for the strain to be transmitted to others through improper hygiene and failure to isolate patients in hospitals.
Exotic animals carry diseases and infections that can be potentially harmful or fatal to humans, jeopardizing the safety of the community. These diseases range in severity from common ringworm infections from African pygmy hedgehogs to lyssaviruses in p...
Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) utilizes the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) to help limit the spread of plague and hopefully avoid a new epidemic from emerging (Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), 2016). The GOARN, a partnership of existing institutions (scientific, laboratory, technical, etc.), assembles the necessary resources for the identification, authentication, and response to outbreaks, such as for the Black Death (Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN),
However due to globalization, import and export viruses is more easily transmitted. Over the past century the global community especially Asian has been affected with new strains of the influenza virus. The changes in the virus can occur in two ways “antigenic drift” which are gradual changes in the virus over time. This change produces new strains that the antibody may not recognize. “Antigenic shift” On the other is a sudden change in the influenza virus which ‘’ results in a new influenza A subtype or a virus with a hemagglutinin or a hemagglutinin and neuraminidase combination that has emerged from an animal population,” as seen with H5N1 virus. This change leaves people defenseless against this new virus. (CDC, 2013) Currently there is no vaccine to combat all strains therefore “Planning and preparedness for implementing mitigation strategies during a pandemic requires participation by all levels o...
Many of these diseases originate from animal populations. Humans’ interaction with the environment, and animals contribute to the rate and prevalence of disease. All three areas are interconnected. One Health is a concept that views human, animal, and environmental health as one area of health. The three entities, when separated can hinder each other and delay progress. The opposite is also true. When public health officials recognize the correlation between human, animal, and environmental health, advancements and innovation can occur. Other public health issues are present in relation to spread of infectious disease between humans and animals. People must know how to cook animal products in order to kill pathogens. Many diseases are also transferred when humans disrupt ecosystems. These are areas where public health has the opportunity to make progress. The issues that infectious diseases cause occur across the globe. In addition, One Health concepts can be applied to populations all over the
Smallpox is a disease from the variola virus. Smallpox has caused an estimated number of 300 million deaths in the 1900s alone. Smallpox is said to have been around since the ancient Egyptian times. The disease was eradicated in the late 20th century and two samples are still kept, one in U.S.A and one in Russia. Smallpox creates bumps and blisters all over the body and has been one of the most fatal epidemics the world has seen.
Watson, Stephanie. Superbugs: the rise of drug-resistant germs. New York, NY: Rosen Pub., 2010. Print.
There are two types of bacteria that cause Typhus, Rickettsia Typhi and Rickettsia Prowazekii. The form of Typhus depends on which type of bacteria has entered the body and caused the infection. Rickettsia Typhi causes Murine or Endemic Typhus. Endemic Typhus is unusual in the United States. When it is found, its usually seen in areas with poor hygiene and where the temperature is cold. Endemic typhus is sometimes called "jail fever." Murine Typhus typically occurs in the southeastern United States, often during the summer and fall. Risk factors for Murine Typhus include exposure to rat fleas or rat feces. Rickettsia Prowazekii causes both Epidemic Typhus and Brill-Zinsser disease. Brill-Zinsser disease is a far more mild form of Epidemic Typhus. It occurs when the disease re-activates in a person who was previously infected. It is more common in the elderly. Lice and fleas of flying squirrels spread the bacteria. There is no commercially available vaccine against either Endemic or Epidemic typhus.
Most emerging infectious diseases today are zoonotic; zoonosis is a disease that can be transmitted from animals to people or, more specifically, a disease that normally exists in animals but that can infect humans. Approximately 60% of all human pathogens are zoonotic. The animals that can transfer these diseases do not even have to be the wildest of them. It can be simply goats, sheeps, pigs, cats, and dogs who transfer these fatal diseases which can cause
The COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts on all education levels, from Head Start to starting college. COVID-19 has stunted students. As the graduating class of 2023 faced preparing for the ACT throughout the pandemic, they became disadvantaged in their education and in the ability to perform well on the ACT. This was proven when the ACT results came out. The 2023 ACT test results are now the lowest they have been in about 30 years.
Since antibiotics, such as penicillin, became widely available in the 1940s, they have been called miracle drugs. They have been able to eliminate bacteria without significantly harming the other cells of the host. Now with each passing year, bacteria that are immune to antibiotics have become more and more common. This turn of events presents us with an alarming problem. Strains of bacteria that are resistant to all prescribed antibiotics are beginning to appear. As a result, diseases such as tuberculosis and penicillin-resistant gonorrhea are reemerging on a worldwide scale (1).
Emerging diseases have been a threat to humanity for centuries. The many technological advances have allowed scientists to discover the ways, in which these diseases can be controlled and, in some cases, eradicated. By definition, emerging diseases are those diseases that have emerged on specific geographical locations where they were not recorded previously, or diseases that already exist on a specific geographical area but are rapidly spreading throughout a population (Jorge R. Ray, 2015). There are different ways of how these diseases can be spread out. Some examples of this are inappropriate interactions between humans and animals, environmental changes, and interactions with people that have travel internationally. These are some of the
Infectious diseases are the disorders caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasite who live both inside and outside our bodies and are normally helpful but can cause infectious diseases to the human (body) system under certain conditions. And for a disease to be infectious, there is what is called ‘’chain of infection’’ that takes place before. And this can be seen in the below diagram:
In the 1960s, doctors in the United States predicted that infectious diseases were in decline. US surgeon Dr. William H. Stewart told the nation that it had already seen most of the frontiers in the field of contagious disease. Epidemiology seemed destined to become a scientific backwater (Karlen 1995, 3). Although people thought that this particular field was gradually dying, it wasn’t. A lot more of it was destined to come. By the late 1980s, it became clear that people’s initial belief of infectious diseases declining needed to be qualified, as a host of new diseases emerged to infect human beings (Smallman & Brown, 2011).With the current trends, the epidemics and pandemics we have faced have created a very chaotic and unreliable future for mankind. As of today, it has really been difficult to prevent global epidemics and pandemics. Although the cases may be different from one state to another, the challenges we all face are all interconnected in this globalized world.
The occurrence of infectious disease and epidemics has speckled the history of humanity since the first civilization established itself. Considering that a large population can help to foster infectious diseases, and humans share almost 300 communicable agents with animals, the outbreak of epidemics is inextricably intertwined with revol...