Emerging Infections in Asia - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 038775721X ISBN 13: 9780387757216

Publisher: Springer, 2008

Synopsis

The number of people who live in Asia is greater than the total number of people who live in the rest of the world. More than 160 cities in Asia have a population of at least one million people. Thus, when new infectious diseases threaten popu- tions in Asia, huge segments of the global population are at risk. At the same time, Asians are thoroughly integrated with the rest of the world, providing skilled exp- tise and becoming trading partners in all continents. Infectious diseases ordinarily show no preference for infection or disease according to race or ethnic background. A few exceptions exist, due to the host– pathogen evolution that happened before the recent era of rapid travel. Such exc- tions occur usually because the infectious agent was newly introduced to one population only after having existed and evolved for hundreds or thousands of years in a different population. As air travel became popular in the last few generations of people, it became increasingly difficult for populations to remain in isolation. Thus, in 2003, SARS in China rapidly became SARS in Canada. Throughout history, a major source of new infections of people has been old infections of animals. For some, such as Ebola or Lassa, transmission to people is rare and self-limiting, though frighteningly lethal for the few unfortunate indivi- als who get infected. And Ebola and Lassa are indigenous for Africa, not Asia.

About this title

About the Author

Yichen Lu is the Executive Director at the Institute for International Vaccine Development, Cambridge, MA; the Principal Research Scientist at the Harvard AIDS Institute; and the Special Professor and Director, Nankai Vaccine Laboratory, Nankai University, China.

Max Essex is the Chairman of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health and Chairman of the Harvard AIDS Institute.

From the Back Cover

Emerging Infections in Asia

Edited by Yichen Lu, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston

M. Essex, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston

Bryan Roberts, Apex Consulting Group, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Ongoing population shifts, widening health disparities, and rapid genetic mutations are major factors in viral and bacterial dissemination worldwide. At the same time, the role of Asia in the recent SARS and bird flu outbreaks have made that continent a key area of interest. Emerging Infections in Asia offers a comprehensive overview of well studied and lesser-known infectious syndromes affecting local, regional, and international health, concentrating on their greatest areas of transmission. For each disease, contributors provide its historical record, biological structures, methods of transmission, clinical presentation, infection rates, methods of control and prevention, and potential threat to health on a global scale, in clear, accessible fashion.

A sampling of the topics covered:

• Avian flu in Thailand.
• SARS outbreaks in China, Taiwan, and Singapore.
• HIV/AIDS in China.
• Human hemorrhagic fever in Saudi Arabia.
• Drug-resistant TB throughout Asia.
• E. coli in the developing world.

By summarizing the knowledge base at this critical stage, Emerging Infections in Asia aids both epidemiologists and students of epidemiology in their efforts toward preparedness for and prevention of future pandemics. It is a bedrock volume in understanding this most pressing public health issue.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 038775721X
• ISBN 13: 9780387757216
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 268
• Editor: Lu Yichen, Essex Max, Roberts Bryan