Illnesses of global importance/Pandemics
This page is under construction and edited by Peter Friedl EMBA09. In case of any questions/remarks, feel free to contact me
Description:
In developed countries the main causes of deth are coronary heard diseas, stroke and cancer.
The World Health Organization WHO, characterises three conditions responsible for the start of a pandemic:
- emergence of a disease new to a population;
- agents infect humans, causing serious illness; and
- agents spread easily and sustainably among humans.
A disease or condition is not a pandemic merely because it is widespread or kills many people; it must also be infectious. That means that cancer, for example, is not classified as a pandemic as it is not infectious.
Enablers:
- Changes in society and human demographics
- Contamination of water supplies and food sources
- Poor populaiton health (e.g. malnutrition)
- International trade
- International travel
- Evolution of the pathogen
- Failure of public health programs
- Increased life expectancy
Inhibitors:
Factors which weaken this driving force. (these are actually other driving forces, and you can link to them in the wiki!)
Paradigms:
Changes in ways of thinking about the world due to the driving force.
Experts:
- World Health Organisation
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Robert Koch Institut
Timing:
Current pandemics:
- HIV / AIDS
- Swine influenza (2009 influenza A/H1N1)
Important epidemics and pandemics through history:
- Plague
- Cholera
- Typhus
- Smallpox
- Measles
- Tuberculosis
- Malaria
- Yellow fever
Tuberculosis is still one of the most important health problems in the developing world.
Web Resources:
- [1] WHO - World Health Organization
- [2] ECDC - European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- [3] CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- [4] HealthMap - Global Disease Alert Map
- [5] Diseases - Ignored Global Killers - article on Global Issues