The Emergence of Zoonotic Diseases Understanding the Impact on Animal and Human Health: Workshop Summary (2002) / Chapter Skim
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6 Summary and Assessment
6 Summary and Assessment
Pages 113-124
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From page 113... ...
For example, a person might be bitten by an arthropod vector, such as a mosquito or tick, that has picked up a pathogen from a host animal; come in contact with pathogen-bearing fluids produced by an infected animal; or consume foodstuffs contaminated with an animal-derived pathogen. Some zoonotic agents maintain an ongoing reservoir life cycle in animals or arthropods, without the permanent establishment of a new life cycle in humans.
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From page 114... ...
Many different determinants contribute to the emergence of new zoonotic agents, and it is rare that these factors act singly. Among the forces that shape their emergence are human demographics and behavior; technology, industry, and agriculture; economic development and land use; international travel, commerce, and military expeditions; microbial adaptation and change; and breakdown of public health measures.
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From page 115... ...
The precise ecological factors that lead to human infection and emergence are murky, and textbook descriptions of the epidemiology of most zoonotic diseases are at best simplistic. In order to more effectively prevent or control zoonotic diseases, it will be necessary to better understand the ecology of their respective etiologic agents.
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From page 116... ...
This will mean, for example, improving in number and capacity the national Biosafety Level 3 and Level 4 laboratories, which offer the kinds of equipment and protection measures required for conducting research on exceptionally hazardous materials. Of particular note, the nation has no Biosafety Level 4 laboratories devoted to veterinary research, a situation that can impede the process of identifying unknown pathogens.
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From page 117... ...
Following the emergence of the West Nile virus in New York City, the CDC launched a comprehensive program to monitor the geographic and temporal spread of the virus in states along the eastern seaboard; to develop more effective strategies for surveillance, prevention, and control; and to provide up-to-date national and regional information on West Nile encephalitis and other vectorborne diseases. More recently, CDC has expanded surveillance efforts into other states, although on a more limited basis.
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From page 118... ...
This potential has led the government to institute the Laboratory Response Network, sponsored by CDC and managed by the Association of Public Health Laboratories, to enhance the detection of these agents in humans. Personnel in laboratories that test clinical specimens from humans will receive training in the means to rule out these agents as well as in forwarding the isolates to public health .
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From page 119... ...
To improve interdisciplinary collaboration, one step might be for federal agencies to develop a tripartite cooperative program to address infectious diseases in humans, in domestic animals, and in wildlife. This program can serve as a focus for regular communications through working groups to address information transfer; to improve response to disease emergencies; to establish priorities for collaborative, focused investigations; and to pursue other areas of mutual interest.
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From page 120... ...
In each case, turf issues arose, and in some instances efforts to protect agricultural markets seemed to be deemed more important than efforts to protect the public health. The Hong Kong public health authorities were exemplary in their decisive actions and early involvement of international collaborators.
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From page 121... ...
CDC has proposed developing a national electronic disease surveillance network for state and federal public health information on emerging infectious diseases, and this network should be expanded to include wildlife surveillance information on emerging zoonotic diseases and should be linked to agricultural intelligence. In addition, the government can take additional steps to increase the capacity of public health agencies to detect, diagnose, and contain infectious disease outbreaks.
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From page 122... ...
There also are specific topics that might benefit from expanded public education efforts. For example, the expanding human population assures continued landscape changes, many of which can affect the emergence of zoonoses.
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From page 123... ...
This zoonosis also may be instructive in a larger historic sense, especially in its unbridled extension into the worlds of macroeconomics, international trade, national politics, and even regional governance.
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