The world war started in silence against the unseen enemy since the beginning of 2020. Just created black smokes disturbing global temperature and so many showdowns were completed all over the world to set the accuracy of nuclear weapons for many decades. Nature has showed its revenge by the smallest weapon so far and we are calling it the deadliest one in this 21st century.
We know about the global influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, which killed more than 20 million people worldwide, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which began to accelerate in the early 1980s and continues unabated in some parts of the world. In addition, at least 30 other new and reemerging diseases and syndromes have been recognized since the 1970s
New diseases are superimposed on endemic diseases such as diarrheal diseases, malaria, tuberculosis (TB), and measles, which continue to exact a huge toll. Indeed, malaria and TB, among others, are reemerging in a drug-resistant form. Today, infectious diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide. Many pathogens are becoming increasingly resistant to standard antimicrobial drugs, making treatment difficult and in some cases impossible. Moreover, chronic conditions generally considered noninfectious actually have been found to have a microbial etiology.
New and Reemerging Diseases: The Importance of Biomedical Research
Anthony S. Fauci
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/4/3/98-0308_article
We are busy with our blooming economy and environment is not in mind. Healthy environment is not for relaxation, it's for survival and we forget it many times.
Despite the fact that emerging and re-emerging diseases pose a serious threat to public health in developing as well as developed nations, we are destroying our ecosystem by damaging the forest. We have published many papers on emerging and re-emerging zoonoses. All our papers are easily available at the Research Gate and Academic.
I think the seriousness regarding infectious diseases particularly emerging and re-emerging diseases doesn't exist to a substantial level. The recent episodes of swine flu, bird flu, ebola and COVID-19 etc. have revealed shortcomings in our preparedness. Apart from TB/HIV, focus on other infectious diseases especially in developed word is almost negligible and NCDs have become the talk of town. More frequent recent episodes of such diseases is just an indicator of lack of ecosystem preservation. Deforestation and industrialization led environmental exploitation is in full swing which is culminating in more exposure to such pathogens. Such encounters are contributing to outbreaks of novel as well as obsolete diseases. If we are going to head on current path of destruction, we are not from the day when age of pestilence, age of pandemics and hybristic phase will co-exist.
It has always been those with the money talking to those without despite the differences in knowledge and the warnings. The Biomedical researchers, disease outbreaker and modelling experts, entomologist dealing with vectors,climate and health scholars have time and again raised the issues around the changing environmental conditions and new and re-emerging diseases. The literature is a lot and widely available but who cares. The "economy" takes the upper hand when decisions are made. Climate change is a good topic for annual conferences and high level meetings then we go back to our routine lives. Who pays attention to the warnings that, "if we do not take care of our environment, the environment will not take care of us". Remember the late professor Wangari Mathai, a Nobel winner on environment and peace matters? Her statement, "nature(environment) is very unforgiving". The facts about the effects of changing environment on health and disease are on the table but people have chosen to ignore or pay lip service. Let us continue with research, sharpen the information and push it to the table closer to the decision makers. A good and clean environment is a necessary for good health. My thoughts
Thanks for nice sharing dear Ankit Chaudhary and Martha Kiarie-Makara and nature has taken its revenge by tiny virus. We are still child to the nature and under His mercy.
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