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Article: Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Public Health
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EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
The term "emerging infection," first widely used in the early 1990s, refers to newly identified and previously unknown infectious agents that cause public health problems either locally or internationally. Their impact, in terms of economic repercussions, goes well beyond the immediate costs to health systems. They may impede trade or travel or cause disproportionate alarm, especially if rumors of intentional use become widespread. During the last three decades of the twentieth century, over thirty emerging infections were identified in humans. They range from the Ebola, Marburg, and Nipah viruses to the more common hepatitis C virus and HIV (human ...