Across the planet, a great deal of illnesses affects the population. Some are old acquaintances and we are often affected by them, others, however, appear without signs and cause great destruction. There are still diseases that were no longer a cause for concern, but which ended up returning and making new victims.
Infectious diseases can be classified according to their epidemiological behavior into two types: emerging and re-emerging diseases. These two concepts are used when analyzing a population specifically, as a disease can emerge in one location and re-emerge in another.
What are emerging diseases?
Emerging disease is a new health problem whose incidence has increased in recent years. It may also be a known issue, but one that has come up more often lately.
An important example of an emerging disease is the AIDS, which started in two main locations: the United States and Africa. It later spread all over the world and had a big negative impact as it killed thousands of people.
What are re-emerging diseases?
Diseases re-emerge when they have been known for some time, were under control, but have now returned, causing concern to human beings. Diseases can reappear when, for example, a new vector is inserted into the site. Re-emergence can also indicate problems in health surveillance.
As an example of re-emerging disease, we can mention the dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease Aedes aegypti. It emerged in Brazil in 1982 with an epidemic in Roraima and was later eradicated after a campaign against yellow fever that ended all vectors. However, the mosquito has returned and, with it, the disease, which kills several people every year.
What factors influence the emergence and re-emergence of diseases?
we can quote demographic, environmental and economic factors, poor performance of the health sector, changes and adaptation of microorganisms and manipulation of organisms.Environmental degradation is noteworthy for allowing the emergence of new diseases and the reappearance of others considered to be eradicated, as it ensures that vectors and etiological agents move and end up contaminating the population.
We must also not forget to mention the ease of migration observed nowadays, which ends up taking organisms causing diseases from one area to another extremely quickly, which favors the emergence and re-emergence of illnesses. For this reason, it is essential that investments in research on these diseases are made in order to prevent their spread and guarantee the treatment of patients when the advance is uncontrollable.
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/doencas/doencas-emergentes-reemergentes.htm