• Question from:phil

I read somewhere that non-random emerging disease events are on the increase... What exactly does that mean? I'm not sure. Are there specific causes for this (which is why it is not random)? Are humans to blame?

Thanks... hope my question isn't silly :P

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  • University of Bristol
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http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v4 … 06536.html

An  EID is an original case or cluster of cases representing an infectious disease emerging in human populations for the first time. EID events can be caused by newly evolved strains of pathogens (for example, multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis and chloroquine-resistant malaria), pathogens that have recently entered human populations for the first time (for example, HIV-1, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus), and pathogens that have probably been present in humans historically, but which have recently increased in incidence (for example, Lyme disease). The emergence of these pathogens and their subsequent spread have caused an extremely significant impact on global health and economies.