The risk of disease with humans in the 21st century

Not only new diseases such as influenza, acute respiratory syndrome - SARS, the world health experts are also concerned about the return of many old diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and tuberculosis.

The main reason is that aviation development and globalization of live animals has enabled the virus to spread across continents within a few months. Deadly diseases are emerging faster than ever around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns.

In a recent report last August called " A Safer Future ", WHO experts point out the greatest risks to human health in the 21st century.

New diseases

Air development facilitates virus spread throughout the continent within a few months.(Photo: H.Cat)

Aviation development and globalization for the live animal market have enabled the virus to spread to all continents in just a few months. That leads to the sudden growth of new diseases that cause massive death.

SARS

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory disease, very similar to atypical pneumonia.

One of the first discovered cases was a 72-year-old man living in Beijing, China. He went at least one flight before the symptoms of illness appeared. It is believed that he spread the disease to 22 other people during this trip. Experts have experienced a nightmare when they have to detect people who have been infected and isolated from those infected with the virus.

Subsequently, SARS was transmitted to Hong Kong (especially in Hong Kong hotels) and some cities in northern Vietnam around March 2003.

More cases of SARS have been discovered in Hong Kong, China and Canada. The cause of infection is the SARS virus (SARS coronavirus, SARS-CoV abbreviation), a new bacterium. Mortality rate from SARS is 10%.

Fortunately for the whole world, SARS is not as easily contagious as it was initially feared. Doctors have been able to control the virus within a few months, but the SARS virus has also robbed several hundred people of their lives.

Flu epidemic

Scientists believe that a flu pandemic, mutating from animal flu into human flu, could be a much bigger threat than the 1918 pandemic. Governments around the world have had to prepare for the appearance of this pandemic.

The common flu in the UK can also be fatal, but in general it only happens to people who are frail aged or those with poor immunity because of other illnesses.

A whole new type of flu can be very dangerous because people have not had immunity to disease.

The focus in recent years has been the H5N1 virus, which causes bird flu, but is infectious and fatal in humans. However, this virus is currently only spread among people who have direct contact with sick poultry.

However, at the end of August 2007, scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle (USA) warned that the H5N1 avian influenza virus has spread from person to person in Indonesia since last year. This warning is based on research, analyzing data on seven infected people and one family in the village of Kubu Simbelang in North Sumatra province - Indonesia in May 2006.

Seven of the family, of which six died, were confirmed to be infected with H5N1 in April and May 2007.

In June 2007, the WHO also confirmed that there was " local spread " of H5N1 virus from person to person among these family members.

If H5N1, or any other bird flu virus can be transmitted from human to human, the number of people dying from the disease may be at least hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

The return of old diseases

Tuberculosis is also an old disease that is returning, with increasing resistance to antibiotics.In the photo: Medical examination at Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital (Photo: H.Cat)

WHO is not only concerned about emerging diseases. Many deadly diseases of the last century have returned with no less fatal possibility.

Fever

Every year, the world still has millions of people dying from malaria. According to WHO, the world community has not acted strictly to limit this number.

In the 1960s, the introduction of mosquito repellents made malaria rife in sub-Saharan Africa only. However, this has drastically reduced investment in malaria control.

In addition, pathogenic parasites are increasingly highly immune to malaria drugs. Therefore, malaria has spread to new areas or even returned to areas where experts believe the disease has been cleared.

Cholera

WHO experts say cholera has returned in the past 25 years. War, conflict and natural disasters all contribute to the return of cholera. Poor sanitation and contaminated domestic water are the main causes of outbreaks.

After the Rwanda crisis in 1994, up to 800,000 people from refugee camps near Goma town of the Republic of Congo crossed the border.

In the first month, about 50,000 people died from cholera and dysentery because cholera bacteria entered Lake Kivu water, the only source of drinking water in the area.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, one of the highest fatal diseases for AIDS patients, is the culprit of about 1.5 million deaths worldwide each year. Although the disease can be treated with antibiotics, antibiotics are still not enough to meet the treatment needs of many patients.

In addition, WHO is particularly concerned about the strong resistance of TB bacteria to antibiotics.

H.Cat