What is Infectious Disease Risk?
Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for a quarter to a third of all mortality. In most industrialized countries, infectious disease ranks after cancer and heart disease as a primary cause of mortality. Despite developments in pharmaceuticals, infectious disease rates are rising due to changes in human behavior, larger and denser cities, increased trade and travel, inappropriate use of antibiotic drugs, and the appearance of new and re-emerging pathogens. Twenty known diseases have recently re-emerged or spread geographically. These new outbreaks are of more virulent and drug-resistant forms. At least 30 unknown disease agents for which no cures are available have been identified in human populations in the last few decades, including HIV, Ebola, and hepatitis C and E. Infectious disease outbreaks pose a major threat both nationally and internationally. They easily cross borders and can threaten economic and regional stability as has been demonstrate
