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August 21, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"On an Altered Planet, New Diseases Emerge as Old Ones Re-emerge"
New York Times (www.nytimes.com ) (08/20/02) P. F2; Grady, Denise
West Nile virus was not detected in the United States until 1999,
but by 2001 it had infected mosquitoes, birds, and
mammals--including humans--and now has spread to 36 states and
the District of Columbia. According to researchers, the virus
may be one of a number of infectious diseases whose range and
incidence may have increased because of human activities
affecting its vectors. In the past several decades, a number of
previously unknown diseases have emerged, including Lyme disease,
AIDS, and the Ebola virus, while several old ones--including
yellow fever, malaria, and dengue fever--have re-emerged, with
some, like tuberculosis, becoming dangerously resistant to
medications. The World Health Organization, in a 2000 report,
listed ecological changes, breakdowns in public health measures
like vaccination and sanitation, human factors, microbial
changes, international travel and commerce, and technological and
industrial factors as possibly affecting the emergence and
distribution of infectious diseases. Global warming is also said
to play a role in the spread of several diseases, such as West
Nile virus, malaria, and dengue, to previously unaffected areas.
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