"An emerging infectious disease (EID) is an infectious disease whose incidence has increased recently (in the past 20 years), and could increase in the near future."
The identification, characterization and management of new or re-emerging viruses that pose a threat to human or animal health, such as zoonoses, pandemics or bioterrorism agents.
Virology: The study of viruses, including their structure, replication, and pathogenesis.
Pathogenesis: The process by which a virus causes disease in a host organism.
Evolution of viruses: The study of the genetic changes that occur in viruses over time, including how they adapt to new hosts and environments.
Epidemiology: The study of the distribution and control of diseases in populations.
Outbreak investigations: The process of investigating and containing outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Host-virus interactions: The study of how viruses interact with the cells and immune system of their host organism.
Viral infection and immunity: The study of how our immune system responds to viral infections.
Diagnosis of viral infections: The methods used to diagnose viral infections, including laboratory testing and clinical symptoms.
Treatment of viral infections: The available treatments for viral infections, including antiviral drugs and vaccines.
Prevention and control of viruses: Public health strategies for preventing and controlling viral infections, including vaccination, quarantine, and hygiene practices.
Zika virus: A mosquito-borne virus that can cause birth defects in unborn babies and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Ebola virus: A highly contagious virus that causes severe the Ebola virus disease which may result in death.
Hantaviruses: A group of viruses transmitted to humans via rodents that can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
Dengue virus: A mosquito-borne virus that can cause severe flu-like illness and dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Chikungunya virus: A mosquito-borne virus that causes a fever, rash, and severe joint pain.
MERS-CoV: A coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
SARS-CoV-2: A coronavirus that causes COVID-19, which has caused a global pandemic.
"EIDs have been increasing steadily since at least 1940."
"Human activity is the primary driver of this increase, with loss of biodiversity a leading mechanism."
"Emerging infections account for at least 12% of all human pathogens."
"EIDs can be caused by newly identified microbes, including novel species or strains of virus (e.g. novel coronaviruses, ebolaviruses, HIV)."
"Some EIDs evolve from a known pathogen, as occurs with new strains of influenza."
"EIDs may also result from the spread of an existing disease to a new population in a different geographic region, as occurs with West Nile fever outbreaks."
"Some known diseases can also emerge in areas undergoing ecologic transformation (as in the case of Lyme disease). Others can experience a resurgence as a re-emerging infectious disease, like tuberculosis (following drug resistance) or measles."
"Nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, are emerging in hospitals and are extremely problematic in that they are resistant to many antibiotics."
"Of growing concern are adverse synergistic interactions between emerging diseases and other infectious and non-infectious conditions leading to the development of novel syndemics."
"For instance, most emergent viruses are zoonotic (whereas other novel viruses may have been circulating in the species without being recognized, as occurred with hepatitis C)."
"EIDs are zoonotic, deriving from pathogens present in animals, with only occasional cross-species transmission into human populations."
"...novel coronaviruses, ebolaviruses, HIV."
"Some known diseases can also emerge in areas undergoing ecologic transformation (as in the case of Lyme disease)."
"Nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, are emerging in hospitals and are extremely problematic in that they are resistant to many antibiotics."
"Of growing concern are adverse synergistic interactions between emerging diseases and other infectious and non-infectious conditions leading to the development of novel syndemics."
"EIDs have been increasing steadily since at least 1940."
"Human activity is the primary driver of this increase, with loss of biodiversity a leading mechanism."
"Their many impacts can be economic and societal, as well as clinical."
"Some known diseases can also emerge in areas undergoing ecologic transformation (as in the case of Lyme disease)."