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The Significance of Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases: A Focus on Dengue Fever

Abstract

The paper focuses on the importance and utility of emerging or re-emerging diseases, their effects on society, and the factors that might be involved. It also presents the case of Dengue Fever, which can be considered a good representative example. The emergencies of infectious diseases are dependent on urbanization, globalization, environmental changes, and bacterial adaptation processes. Dengue fever, where the dengue virus aetiology, is a very significant issue in public health and social backwardness for the rich and poor people. The article will estimate the pathogen responsible for the infection and how the virus influences patients, therapeutic approaches that are available at the moment, and those who are at risk of contracting the disease. It will also trace the history of Dengue fever.

Introduction

Epidemics, both the emergence and reemergence of diseases, make life hard for people, not to mention poorer economic conditions and even worse social situations. The as basic as the knowledge about the mechanisms causing this to happen can be urbanization, globalization, climate change and microbial evolution. Certain information has a great significance as it is important during the creation of functional surveillance, prevention and control measures. On the other hand, the vector action of Aedes mosquito species harbouring the dengue virus provides the platform for the transmission of dengue fever. Dengue is a viral infection with symptoms like high fever, headache, body aches, and rash. The most complicated instance is when it causes Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) (Murugesan & Manoharan, 2020). Through studying social costs among prostate cancer patients, such as financial payments and quality of healthcare, healthcare providers and policymakers can decide to choose the best interventions and serve patients. Showing the example of dengue fever through the causation of the Dengue virus and the spreading of the Aedes mosquito explains how complex it can be to eradicate a disease of such a nature. As it spreads with lightning speed, causes severe illnesses and death in huge numbers, and has no known cure, consider the different issues this virus poses for management. Identification of vulnerable populations helps to design targeted intervention programs and public communication activities with the primary goal of societal stability in terms of newly appearing and re-emerging infections.

Factors Contributing to Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases

Urbanization and Congestion

The emergence and spread of infectious diseases tend to occur due to urbanization and congestion and the high number of people living in confined areas. Since most people are in crowded urban areas, the close contact and overcrowded living circumstances become the best environment for sticking insects to develop their quick transmission because of the sharing between the different population crowds (Saba & Balwan, 2021). A small span area also increases the chance of disease transmission and the chance that the localized disease can develop into community-wide epidemics or even worldwide pandemics. To begin with, improper drainage systems and low-standard housing facilities could be triggers that magnify the impact of the epidemics.

Globalization and Increased Travel

Globalization and increased travel have made it easy for viruses and bacteria to pass from one country to another due to the connection between geographical places. Today, the transportation system is technologically geared to ease the movement of people and their pets from one country to another. The possible primary sources of the spread of infectious microorganisms are people, tourists, people in business, or anyone performing human mobility, and they might bring an unknown pathogen with them into their destination communities. Therefore, interconnectedness forms the backbone for the further spread of diseases. Thus, different countries’ airport authorities and health ministers must join hands to detect and contain transmission cases.

Climate Change and Environmental Effects

Environmental and climate changes are essential since they lead to the appearance and reemergence of infections. Variations in heat intensity, water supply, and ecology regulating the spreading of vectors like mosquitoes are influenced by modifications in temperature, inoculative breeding spaces, and migration (Saba & Balwan, 2021). For instance, viable temperatures range to get extended, particularly those of the vectors that transmit malaria and dengue fever diseases. Extreme weather may produce barriers to sanitation systems’ work, leading to successive movements of the population suitable for an increased rate of disease spread.

Antibiotic Resistance

New antibiotic resistance is the main threat to cutting-edge disease control. Microbes have several means of genetics, allowing them to become antibiotic-resistant. Among these stressors are intense antibiotic use in both medical and agriculture. Misuse and overuse of antibiotics increase the speed of bacteria, which becomes a strain of microbes that are no longer responsive to old treatments. Besides, this practice threatens patient management and international disease eradication initiatives (Saba & Balwan, 2021). This necessitates the development of alternative strategies that are not reliant on antibiotics to combat infectious diseases effectively.

Impact of Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases on Society

Disease outbreaks exert profound and enduring impacts across various sectors, including the economy, healthcare, and social systems (Chala & Hamde, 2021). Economically, they contribute greatly to the country’s health problems through direct costs such as high hospital bills and drug bills and indirect costs caused mainly by reduced labour production due to absence from work because of illness and death. In addition to the stirring of financial matters at the national level, the pattern of allocation of resources for disease surveillance disrupts the development funds and the money intended for essential services as well. Healthcare systems are put under greater strain, leading to longer-lasting effects such as overcrowding, lengthened waiting time, and patients needing better health. Social cohesion may break up due to fear, stigma, and the information that is called misinformation during epidemics, which makes the situation in the marginalised more tense. Non-communicable ways of treating (public health measures such as quarantine and travel bans) affect personal relationships, and mental stress amplifies with such scenarios. The effect will be chaotic losses of lives, low productivity and more decay in the social and economic fabrics, depleting the labour resources necessary for national progress and GDP growth. As with the short-term effects, long-term consequences include chronic disorders and disablement that are going to remain for life, which will make people poorer and reduce inequality in the world.

Pathogen responsible: Dengue virus

The dengue virus is the virus of the Sylvatic cycle that is mainly transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, notably Aedes aegypti. The infected mosquitoes act as vectors, transporting the virus and then transmitting it to people through their bite. The virus is from the Flaviviridae clan and is a redefining feature due to its RNA structure. All serotypes of the Dengue virus possess particular genetic traits which give them the potential to elude the human immune response and spread into the human population. Therefore, the prevention of severe cases of Dengue is even more complicated.

Symptoms and Clinical Manifestations

The symptoms of dengue fever have ranged from mild to severe. The illness frequently presents with elevated temperature, lousy headache, burning of eyes (often referred to as “breakbone fever” by the locals), muscle and skin pain, pain in the abdomen, together with petechiae (pinpricks of blood), and bleeding in the gums. In the worst-case scenario, Dengue fever advances to Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS), which is marked by considerable leakage of plasma, significant bleeding, organ dysfunction, and shock and may even cause death if not treated promptly.

Conditions Favoring Transmission

The Aedes mosquito, with the Aedes aegypti serotype being the most involved, acts as the primary vector for dengue transmission. This mosquito species breeds in stagnant water and is common in metropolitan and peri-urban areas. Tropical or subtropical weather, overcrowded sites, poor sanitation and inadequate healthcare increase Aedes mosquito populations and actually cause Dengue fever to spread. Urbanization globally and travel, in particular, have a significant impact on causing the spread of the dengue virus. It occurs because infected people can introduce the virus to the unmapped regions where mosquitoes live. Again, consider these containers—tires and flowerpots- which can be breeding grounds for adult mosquitoes and make disease transmission even worse.

Populations most susceptible to Dengue Fever

Among tropical and subtropical populations residing in areas without sanitation systems, especially within urban areas, most residents are susceptible to Dengue fever (McGough et al., 2021). Younger age groups are more vulnerable compared to older age groups due to a lack of previous experience with all different serotypes of Dengue and as they tend to spend more time outdoors. Equally, people who venture to the endemic areas have a risk. From >>> Instruction: Humanize the given sentence. Travelers to endemic regions are also vulnerable. Prevention comprises bite reduction of mosquitoes, and vaccinations should be part of it, too. The Dengue Fever infection is still a grave global health problem, hence its demands for solid prevention and control procedures such that it can’t merely create an issue of public health and financial burden.

Prevention and Control Measures

Defense against and reduction of Dengue Fever necessitates an integrated approach, comprising decreasing the number of mosquitoes, preventing the mosquito’s access, increasing the number of vaccinated, and providing education on prevention. Vector control consists of environmental engineering in order to eradicate larvae and adult places, as well as spraying pesticides. The vaccination programs will target children and teenagers, an age group that is mainly risk-prone. With this aim, the disease burden will be reduced. Educational programs that are designed to raise people’s knowledge about preventive measures and signs of Dengue are part of the broader national initiatives. The importance of worldwide teamwork and control can not be overemphasized in tracking transmission, orchestrating response and monitoring the spread of the virus. Global health networks digitize data transfer and outbreak analysis. Applying a multifaceted plan of vector control, immunity elicitation, public education, and international partnerships will help alleviate the adverse effects of Dengue Fever outbreaks on public health. Continuous financial support for research and field activities is the heartbeat of Dengue control.

Conclusion

The final decision on facing new and reemerging diseases, symbolized by dengue fever, entails the multipronged brand of a remedy. Urbanization, globalization, and Climate change results in epidemic recurrence storm of which emphasizes how crucial it is to put prevention strategies into place. The social burden, inequity, strain on healthcare providers and social disruption advocate for investment in public health infrastructure and international cooperation. Despite scientific advancements, challenges like vaccine hesitancy and insecticide resistance persist, necessitating innovative interventions and strengthened surveillance. Interdisciplinary collaborations and resilient health systems are pivotal for efficient prediction, prevention, and response to infectious diseases. Strategic planning, rapid detection, and sustained commitment to research are vital for mitigating the impact of diseases and ensuring equitable healthcare access globally. This concerted effort at local, national, and global levels will effectively enhance public health and reduce the consequences of infectious diseases.

References

Chala, B., & Hamde, F. (2021). A review of emerging and re-emerging vector-borne infectious diseases and the challenges for control. Frontiers in public health, 9, 715759. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/publichealth/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.715759/full

McGough, S. F., Clemente, L., Kutz, J. N., & Santillana, M. (2021). A dynamic, ensemble learning approach to forecast dengue fever epidemic years in Brazil using weather and population susceptibility cycles. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 18(179), 20201006. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsif.2020.1006

Murugesan, A., & Manoharan, M. (2020). Dengue virus. In Emerging and reemerging viral pathogens (pp. 281-359). Academic Press. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128194003000168

Roberts, S. L. (2023). Emerging and re-emerging diseases. In The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Security Studies (pp. 401-409). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://api.taylorfrancis.com/content/books/mono/download?identifierName=doi&identifierValue=10.4324/9781003247821&type=googlepdf

Saba, N., & Balwan, W. K. (2021). Potential threat of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases. Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology, 29-36. http://annalsofrscb.ro/index.php/journal/article/view/4251

Watts, M. J., Kotsila, P., Mortyn, P. G., Sarto i Monteys, V., & Urzi Brancati, C. (2020). Influence of socio-economic, demographic, and climate factors on the regional distribution of dengue in the United States and Mexico. International journal of health geographics, 19, 1-15. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12942-020-00241-1

 

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