Human Populations at Risk From Outbreaks of New Diseases
Table of Contents
Introduction3
New Diseases and Factors Causing Them4
Conclusions9
Introduction
On the threshold of the XXI century, humanity has come to realize the importance of solving the global problems to ensure the safety of people's lives. These problems, among a number of security issues, have become one of the most important priorities of the world community (Marshall, 2011). The most urgent need for solving these problems was manifested in the challenges and threats that arose in the demographic, ecological, political, and social spheres of the life activity of humanity. The difficulties and risks mentioned above are the most vivid signs of a systemic crisis of civilization (Marshall, 2011).
Among them is the threat of the emergence of new infectious diseases and their epidemics, the consequences of which can be catastrophic for the whole human race. This dire threat was quite unexpected for modern civilization, since modern medicine, although it presumed the possibility of new infections as a result of ongoing evolutionary processes and mutation of microorganisms, did not sufficiently estimated the degree of the present danger (Marshall, 2011). It seemed that everything would take place as with the "traditional" dangerous infections, which are well studied and, to a large extent, defeated. The emergence of new diseases was considered unlikely, and themselves as not so dangerous or not threatening fatal consequences (Marshall, 2011).
With a few exceptions, today humanity can control the prevalence of the most dangerous infectious diseases known since ancient times. However, scientists must admit that even now in different parts of the world, there are periodic emergencies associated with infectious diseases (Horace, 2012). Thus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), of the 51 million people who die each year in the world, infectious parasitic diseases are the cause of death of 16 million (Horace, 2012).
New Diseases and Factors Causing Them
Despite the possibilities of modern sanitation, medical science, and health systems, new and previously unknown dangerous infections began to rise in recent decades. WHO notes that over the past 20 years, more than 30 new pathogens that are causative agents of previously unknown diseases have been identified (Scheld, Hammer and Hughes, n.d.). They are called emerging infections, which cause sudden emergency epidemics.
The main reasons for their occurrence in the opinion of leading experts are the constant change in the genome, changes (most often worsening) of social conditions and environmental conditions which also affect the fact that infectious diseases return or move to new territories. Climatic and demographic changes allow microorganisms to populate new areas (Scheld, Hammer and Hughes, n.d.). For example, the West Nile fever virus is currently actively spreading across the United States (Birnbaum, 1993). Climatic changes, in particular, global warming, contribute to the spread of microorganisms that require high temperatures of habitat (Birnbaum, 1993). The primary victims of infections are refugees. They, in turn, cross borders and carry epidemics to other countries (Yount, 2003). Also, the carriers of the disease are servicemen who took part in hostilities in the territory …
