Disease outbreaks have been in the news quite often over the past several years. There are many factors that have brought about this influx in disease outbreaks, including social and cultural influences. Human response to outbreak has not changed over the years, as evidenced by historical and modern-day examples. With these outbreaks, preparation steps are being taken to stay ‘ahead of the curve’ for the next one.
Emerging, re-emerging, and zoonotic diseases have great significance and relevance, especially today. We are seeing the emergence of several new diseases. With emerging diseases, many do not have treatments or cures. One example of this is the Nipah virus, which currently has no documented vaccine or treatment. These diseases are particularly dangerous due to their newness, which catches many healthcare workers off guard. There is no real way to prepare for emerging diseases until they strike.
In the same way, re-emerging diseases surprise many in healthcare and the general populace. These diseases include many that people though were endemic to limited areas or almost eradicated. An example of this is the recent outbreak of Measles in Washington state. This disease was on the downward trend, but relatively recent pushback against vaccines has made us susceptible to measles, once again.
Emerging and re-emerging diseases are not mutually exclusive, though. They are both influenced by a few, overarching factors. One is globalization. The increasing connectedness around the world today, from global travel, trade, and business is unprecedented. But, it comes with a price. Disease thrives on human interaction, which is what makes our global connectedness so dangerous. In addition, the huge global population lends itself to disease outbreaks. Diseases spread more easily with more people to infect and high population densities. These are just two factors that link the significance of emerging and re-emerging diseases today.
These diseases may include zoonotic diseases, which has been increasingly significant in the recent past. Interaction with animals is a daily occurrence in today’s society, especially in developing countries. Zoonotic diseases have come to the forefront of society more recently with outbreaks of influenza, Nipah, and Ebola. The Ebola outbreak, beginning in 2014, infected almost 29,000 people and killed over 11,000. These are confirmed cases and deaths by the CDC, but there are more than likely thousands more undocumented. With some of these zoonotic diseases, we do not have a cure. As an example, the CDC reported treatment for the Nipah virus is “supportive care.” Zoonotic diseases have become an important topic in healthcare.
In many cases, outbreaks in emerging, re-emerging, and zoonotic diseases stem from social and cultural issues. One such issue is eating bush meat. This practice exposes people to zoonotic diseases that are not normally found in humans. Even earing fruits and vegetables that we believe to be safe may have come into contact with animal carriers in the journey from field to supermarket. Another large social factor associated with major outbreaks is land development. Humans are increasingly encroaching on the wilderness. This brings us in closer proximity to potential zoonotic disease vectors or hosts that would have, otherwise, been left undisturbed. Land development has been linked to the recent emergence of some diseases. Social and cultural factors play into the significance of disease outbreaks.
When an outbreak does occur, people react in similar ways as they have done in the past. At first, people are not worried about getting the disease. It could not happen to them, right? That was the sentiment at the outset of the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918 and 1919. When an outbreak does start to affect us, we try to do anything we can to prevent it in ourselves, even if our ‘solutions’ do not work. During the Spanish Influenza epidemic, people began to wear masks and create home remedy medicine, which were ineffective. However, it helped people feel like they were contributing to ending the outbreak. Today, more information is available to the layperson to help diagnose and treat diseases. With that said, there is a lot of false information out there. This scares people. In an age of ‘fake news,’ people do not know who to believe. This leads to many misconceptions about outbreaks. For example, in class we discussed the possibility of a professor coming in contact with an Ebola patient and then coming to class. As long as the professor is not actively showing symptoms and contaminating the class with body fluids, there is no threat. Yet, probably every student in the class would be concerned about contracting Ebola. All of these human reactions to outbreaks are not new and will continue to occur.
The question to address now is, are we ready for the next outbreak? There are several measures that have been taken before and that are being taken now to help the world prepare for the next outbreak. In the Spillover video, contact tracers during the Ebola outbreak were able to stop the spread of Ebola. This method has been proven to be effective and could be implemented if there was another outbreak. In addition, there are research teams going around the world looking for incidence of known deadly disease before an outbreak can occur. Researchers are also actively trying to prevent outbreaks through genetic modification. For example, GMO mosquitoes are being released in Brazil to compete for mating with wild-type mosquitos to prevent them from living long enough to reproduce, thus curbing Zika. Finally, research needs to be continued to look for treatments and vaccines, especially for the diseases that currently do not have them. The problem is, that research requires money, and there is no money to be made preparing for a disease that is not currently a major problem.
Disease outbreaks are a very real threat, especially with the emergence of new disease, the re-emergence of old ones, and the increasing incidence of zoonotic diseases. We as people continue to influence the occurrence of outbreaks, but we are preparing for the future. Hopefully, we will be ready.
Help Received:
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/nipah/treatment/index.html
Killer Viruses ppt
https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/11/10220822/sabah_aerial_3034.jpg for image 1
https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/2014/12/30/ebola-outbreaks/4ddf2d539da9e29a43144ed2f3a485a62bff7f30/animals.jpg
Spellcheck