Le Duc James W, Sorvillo Teresa E
Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
Acta Med Acad. 2018 May;47(1):117-130. doi: 10.5644/ama2006-124.222.
A quarter century ago the landmark report from the U. S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine entitled "Emerging Infections, Microbial Threats to Health in the United States" was released. This classic study captured the societal changes then underway in our rapidly growing world: The growth of the world's population and changing human behavior; the advances and globalization of technology and industry; the changes in economic development and land use; the dramatic increase in speed and frequency of international travel and commerce; the adaptation of microbes and the appearance of never before seen pathogens; and the breakdown of traditional public health measures. This societal evolution has only increased and the growing frequency of outbreaks foretold in the report has come to pass. Each new disaster has precipitated changes and adaptations in our global response to infectious diseases designed to reduce risks and avoid future outbreaks. We discuss these past events and how each led to change in an effort to mitigate future threats. We also look to the future to consider what challenges might lay ahead.
Major outbreaks over the past quarter century validated the concept of emerging infectious diseases and led to improvements in global policies and national public health programs; however, there will likely always be new diseases and the threat of reemergence of diseases once thought controlled leading to a constant need for vigilance in public health preparedness.
四分之一世纪前，美国国家科学院、工程院和医学院发布了具有里程碑意义的报告《新发传染病：对美国健康的微生物威胁》。这项经典研究捕捉到了当时我们快速发展的世界中正在发生的社会变革：世界人口增长和人类行为变化；技术和产业的进步与全球化；经济发展和土地利用的变化；国际旅行和商业速度与频率的急剧增加；微生物的适应以及前所未见病原体的出现；以及传统公共卫生措施的失效。这种社会演变有增无减，报告中所预言的疫情爆发频率不断增加的情况已经成为现实。每一次新的灾难都促使我们在全球应对传染病方面做出改变和调整，以降低风险并避免未来的疫情爆发。我们讨论这些过去的事件以及它们如何导致变革，以努力减轻未来的威胁。我们还展望未来，思考可能面临的挑战。
过去四分之一世纪的重大疫情验证了新发传染病的概念，并促使全球政策和国家公共卫生项目得到改进；然而，可能总会有新的疾病出现，以及曾经被认为已得到控制的疾病重新出现的威胁，这导致公共卫生防范工作始终需要保持警惕。
