MGM Journal of Medical Sciences (Jan 2023)
Infectious human diseases: Regions, habitats, threats, and mitigation strategies: The issues—Part II
Abstract
Globally, vaccines against 47 infectious etiologic agents are approved by at least one regulatory authority as of December 2022. The numbers of viral diseases, infections caused by mycoplasma, bacterial and protozoal diseases, mycoses, diseases caused by parasitic worms, and other infectious diseases of unknown etiology run into thousands. Therefore, more vaccines are required to be developed to keep more populations disease free. Climate change and global increase in temperature may promote sea level rises and an increase in the intensity of rains, causing an upsurge in certain infectious diseases in regions of the human population and even causing movement of habitats. In societies where the expenditure on health as a percentage of gross domestic product is higher, people are more capacitated to tackle the treatment and spread of infectious diseases. As several of such conditions are zoonotic, well-planned strategies for controlling the spread would go a long way in the proper direction. Poverty and contagious diseases are infallibly linked. Major infectious diseases of poverty include tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/ acquired immuno deficiency syndrome (AIDS), malaria, measles, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, and several neglected tropical diseases. The world is not yet unified in action to jointly work to contain the global problem of infectious diseases in every human habitat. There was a visible divide between and among the rich countries versus the developing countries regarding accessibility and deployment of vaccines against COVID-19 flu. To contain the spread of infectious diseases in the future, the whole world would have to work together, raising funds, strengthening epidemiological surveys, inventing effective vaccines, and vaccinating the eligible population, as also treating the infected with therapy in time, besides resorting to other preventive measures for overall human progress. The developmental efforts are to be pursued jointly and together to benefit all people, respecting the world as one.
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