Added: 12/17/2005 |
Infectious diseases may be transmitted from animals to humansInfectious diseases are defined as human illnesses that are caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites and other different microbes. There are several ways of the condition transmission. It can be spread through the direct contact with the infected animal or person, by swallowing contaminated water or food, by insects, such as ticks and mosquitos (called disease vectors) or through the contact with the contaminated environment (for example, animal excrements) and even through the contaminated air. These are diseases caused by biological agent. Every disease has its agents and vectors.
As antibiotics, fighting infectious diseases came 50 years ago, scientists were sure they will put an end to the illnesses and deaths caused by infectious diseases. They were mistaken because the microbes showed a remarkable ability to adapt and to survive causing damage to the health of people. In the past people believed that they got rid of infectious diseases. Nevertheless, they are still the main cause of deaths all over the world.
There are some infectious diseases that have been wiped out. Polio is among them. Nevertheless, there are some conditions which we can't get rid of. Moreover, over the last 20 years about 30 new infectious diseases appeared. These new infections include sin nombre hantavirus, cryptosporidiosis, HIV and the Ebola virus which came to us from Africa.
There are some conditions which were believed to die out. But they return. Among the diseases are tuberculosis, diphtheria and cholera.
There are a number of factors making the diseases come back. Reproductive ability and genetic make up of infectious agents let them mutate into more dangerous strains which humans cannot fight. Infectious diseases are brought to new geographic areas due to numerous migrations of refugees. Numerous tourists traveling to exotic areas bring some new diseases to their homes.
Outbreaks of infections are spread by water, food and other environmental factors in numerous urban slums which lack clean water and sanitation. Population urbanization and shift bother natural habitats thus increasing the contact of people with different remote environments and eco-systems that are badly understood and that hide various dangerous and unknown microorganisms.
There are some infections that can be passed from animals to humans. As the world commerce is constantly getting globalized, the transmission of the infections over the border is possible. It is performed through the transmission of plants, food, hitchhiking insects and other products. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics has led to the resistance of the infections to the drugs. The same situation is with the insects that carry diseases. They get resistant to pesticides. Infectious agents quickly develop due to different substance abuse and the sexual behavior of people. Such institutions as hospitals and child care centers provide ideal opportunities for the transmission of infectious diseases because they collect susceptible individuals to the daily contact with each other.
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