While many infectious diseases have already been contained in recent decades, they are still a major concern in the modern age. Below are the main headlines related to infectious diseases this past year.
One is the outbreak of measles in Europe that started in late 2016 and persisted throughout 2017. While measles is easily one of the most vaccine-preventable diseases today, many still get infected. The most affected areas were Romania, Germany, and Italy, with some 14,000 reported cases.
Image source: time.com
Significant attention has been given to Lyme disease, the world’s most common vector-borne disease. This was manifested by the first-ever meeting of the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, and the granting of FDA Fast Track designation to Valneva’s Lyme disease vaccine.
Another headline-maker is the issue surrounding Dengvaxia. Many countries have approved this supposed milestone dengue vaccine since its first use in Mexico, with the Philippines rolling out the use of the vaccine for some 730,000 children. But last November saw the announcement from Sanofi Pasteur that there is an increased risk of severe dengue and hospitalization a few years after vaccination. This is true among people in all age groups who had not been exposed to the dengue virus prior to vaccination.
Image source: qiagen.com
On a positive note, polio and the Guinea worm diseases are now close to getting completely eradicated. Just like smallpox, which was eliminated in the late ‘70s, polio cases have decreased by over 99 percent since 1988. As for Guinea worm, the estimated 3.5 million cases of the disease in Africa and Asia have decreased by more than 99.99 percent. The great news here is that the eradication is not based on vaccines per se, but mainly through community-based interventions to educate and change people’s behavior on water sanitation.
Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., has more than 12 years of service in the occupational safety and health sector. He possesses extensive experience in biological defense activities and infectious disease outbreak investigation. For related reads, click here.
