Prospects for Emerging Infections in East and Southeast Asia 10 Years after Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Abstract

It is 10 years since severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged, and East and Southeast Asia retain a reputation as a hot spot of emerging infectious diseases. The region is certainly a hot spot of socioeconomic and environmental change, and although some changes (e.g., urbanization and agricultural intensification) may reduce the probability of emerging infectious diseases, the effect of any individual emergence event may be increased by the greater concentration and connectivity of livestock, persons, and products. The region is now better able to detect and respond to emerging infectious diseases than it was a decade ago, but the tools and methods to produce sufficiently refined assessments of the risks of disease emergence are still lacking. Given the continued scale and pace of change in East and Southeast Asia, it is vital that capabilities for predicting, identifying, and controlling biologic threats do not stagnate as the memory of SARS fades.

Participatory disease detection through digital volunteerism

“…In East and Southeast Asia regional collaborations have improved through partnerships within World Health Organization (WHO) regions, the development of the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance System (MBDS), and growing participation in the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) [1]. Thailand, geographically located in the heart of Southeast Asia and a key partner in both MBDS and the Asian Partnership for Emerging Infectious Disease Research (APEIR), hosts a population of approximately 67 million people and is working with neighbouring MBDS countries to improve community participation in disease surveillance, strengthen surveillance at the human-animal interface, and improve epidemiology capacity.…”

“…Southeast Asia has long been a 'hotspot' for emerging and reemerging diseases; it was the birthplace of both severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 between 2003 and 2005 [1,2]. As viruses of zoonotic origin, these diseases typify pathogens with the greatest pandemic potential, made all the more dangerous when found in a region of the world, such as Southeast Asia, that contains a high level of wildlife and microbial diversity [3].…”

Is Atypical Human Trypanosomosis an Emering Threat to Human Society? : A Debatable one Health Issue to Public Health Experts and Parasitologists

“…In addition to this, emerging infectious diseases are day by day becoming curse to animal and human society. These new emerging infectious diseases are causing serious imbalances in stability of the ecosystem, resulting in disturbances of ecological cycles [2][3][4]. The environmental conditions in India are conducive to the spread of the parasite from animals to human beings [5].Protozoan parasites are responsible for causing severe infections both in humans and animals worldwide [6].The impact of diseases caused by these organisms on health and productivity of farm animals and human beings is huge, though a fair economic assessment on these aspect is yet to be worked out from India.…”

Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process to a Risk Assessment of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Shaoxing City in Southern China

“…Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is believed to have originated in southern China, as the first sporadic cases and small outbreaks were identified in Guangdong Province, China, between November 2002 and early January 2003 (2). As the world was preparing for an avian influenza A/H5N1 pandemic, we were blindsided by the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) outbreak (3).…”