Emerging Infectious Diseases: A Persistent Threat to the Community

Abstract

Infections that have recently surfaced in populations whose incidence is expanding quickly or poses as a potential threat to do so in the near future are considered emerging infectious diseases. Infectious agents that were previously unknown or unidentified may be the source of emerging illnesses. Globally, infectious illnesses pose a serious threat to both public health and the stability of economies. They have been among the top causes of death and disability for ages, posing increasing risks to human advancement and health security. The ongoing reappearance of old, neglected, and infectious disease epidemics with worldwide implications adds to the threat posed by infectious illnesses. At least thirty novel human-pathogenic infectious pathogens have evolved in the last 35 years; the majority of them being zoonotic, and research has indicated a strong correlation between the origins of these organisms and ecological, environmental, and socioeconomic factors.