Suk William A, Davis E Ann
NIH-National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2008 Oct;1140:40-4. doi: 10.1196/annals.1454.046.
While each region of the world faces unique public health challenges, environmental threats to vulnerable populations in Asia constitute a significant global public health challenge. Environmental threats to health are widespread and are increasing as nations in the region undergo rapid industrial development. One of the major predictors of ill health is poverty. Regional poverty puts large populations at risk for ill health, which exacerbates poverty and increases the exposure risk to environmental factors, such as pollution and disease. Patterns of illness have changed dramatically in the last century, and will continue to change in this century. Chemical toxicants in the environment, poverty, and little or no access to health care are all factors contributing to life-threatening diseases. Therefore, it is vital that we develop a better understanding of the mechanisms and interactions between nutrition, infectious disease, environmental exposures, and genetic predisposition in order to develop better prevention methods.
虽然世界各地区都面临着独特的公共卫生挑战，但亚洲弱势群体所面临的环境威胁构成了一项重大的全球公共卫生挑战。随着该地区各国迅速工业化，对健康的环境威胁广泛存在且不断增加。健康不佳的主要预测因素之一是贫困。地区贫困使大量人口面临健康不佳的风险，这加剧了贫困，并增加了接触污染和疾病等环境因素的风险。在过去一个世纪里，疾病模式发生了巨大变化，而且在本世纪还将继续变化。环境中的化学毒物、贫困以及很少或根本无法获得医疗保健都是导致危及生命疾病的因素。因此，至关重要的是，我们要更好地了解营养、传染病、环境暴露和遗传易感性之间的机制及相互作用，以便制定更好的预防方法。
