Assignment: Factors Contributing to the Emergence and Reemergence of Infectious Disease

First the doctor told me the good news: I was going to have a disease named after me.

-Steve Martin

The number of new diseases appears to be on the rise: Ebola, HIV/AIDS, bird flu, SARS, and West Nile virus are just a few of the infectious diseases that either did not exist or were not as prevalent 40 years ago. There are many social trends, human practices, and other factors that contribute to the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease. One of the key concerns of public health professionals is how to identify and address these factors.

In this Discussion, you explore the factors contributing to the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease and analyze how those factors can be addressed. You recommend strategies to hinder the emergence and re-emergence of disease and identify entities and partnerships that could implement or oversee those strategies.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review your Learning Resources.

• Reflect on the many factors provided in the text chapters that contribute to the emergence and/or re-emergence of infectious disease. Select one factor of particular interest to you.

• Evaluate public health strategies for addressing the factor you selected.

• Consider the entities and partnerships among local, state, federal, international, and nongovernmental agencies and organizations that could implement or oversee the strategies you identified.

Post an explanation of how the factor you selected contributes to the emergence and/or reemergence of infectious disease. Provide at least one example of a specific infectious disease that the factor promotes. Then, identify at least two public health strategies and explain how they could be used to address the factor you selected. Finally, describe entities and partnerships that could implement or oversee the strategies you identified and explain the role of these entities in controlling or preventing infectious disease.