ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Infectious Disease: Challenges and Solutions



Abstract

Historically, infectious diseases are the cause of significant mortality in the world. More than a quarter of all deaths - a total of 16 of the 59 million deaths - are due this cause each year, mostly in the poorest countries. If some go, new ones, called emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) will always continue to appear. The causes of the emergence or reemergence of infectious diseases are many and varied and include human activities (population movements, changes in farming practices, globalization of trade, and misuse of antibiotics) as well as some climate change. The challenge of the unexpected return of infections at the forefront of human and animal diseases can be met by a significant improvement in hygiene, the abandonment of certain risk behaviors, the development of original antimicrobial molecules (acting on new targets) and a series of specific vaccines.

Table of Contents

Infectious Disease4

The transmission5

Emergence of infectious diseases5

Epidemic6

Endemic6

Sporadic6

Vaccination7

Useful information for travelers7

Challenges8

Solutions8

References10

Infectious Disease: Challenges and Solutions

Infectious Disease

An infectious disease is a disease caused by microbial agents that come into contact with an individual, reproduce and cause functional alteration: the disease is therefore the result of complex interaction between the immune system and the body outside. The germs that cause infectious diseases may belong to different categories and mainly viruses, bacteria or fungi (Morens, Folkers & Fauci, 2004). The researches have established that the germ with the host is generally parasitic because it survives and multiply outside the body needs to make some vital functions of the host. The human body, for its part, when it comes into contact with a germ defends itself by adopting systems of maintenance of its internal balance. The first barrier is made from the skin and mucous membranes, which resist the penetration of microorganisms with antimicrobial activity in part of a mechanical nature (tears, saliva, and urine), partly chemical and physical nature (low pH, gastric acid). Subsequently, the immune system provides the defenses against microbial agents (Brachman, 2003).

The time between the contact between a microbe and the human body until the appearance of symptoms is called "incubation period", which is different depending on the infectious disease and depends on the relationships that are established between the germ and the host during the incubation period and in the presence of microbial agents that reproduce inside the body. The infection may start with no symptoms, and in that case we speak of "asymptomatic infection". However, if symptoms appear, you establish a "disease". The clinical features of infection may therefore vary from square to square very severe asymptomatic which can also lead to patient death (Ali and Roger, 2008).

Infectious diseases remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with HIV, tuberculosis and malaria estimated to cause 10% of all deaths each year. New pathogens continue to emerge, as demonstrated by the SARS epidemic in 2003 and the swine flu pandemic in 2009 (Shetty, Julian and Julie, 2009).

The transmission Infectious diseases are caused by infectious pathogens, either directly or ...