[Global threats from emerging viral diseases].
Emerging viral diseases are nothing new. Smallpox probably reached Europe from Asia in the 5th century, and yellow fever emerged in the Americas during the 16th century as a consequence of the African slave trade. Dengue fever arose simultaneously in South-East Asia, Africa, and North America during the 18th century. In 1918-1919 the so-called Spanish flu spread like wildfire through all five continents, killing between 25 and 40 million people. The second half of the 20th century saw the emergence of HIV/AIDS (1981), among other viral diseases. Even more worrying is the fact that emerging and re-emerging viral diseases have had a tendency to spread more quickly and more widely during the last decade, invading whole countries and continents; witness the recent outbreaks of Nipah virus, West Nile, Rift Valley fever, SARS, monkeypox, avian flu (H5N1) and Chikungunya. The complex factors underlying these new trends are briefly discussed.
Chastel
Claude
C
chastel@aol.com
D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000266:history; D014943:Global Health; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*