Emerging Infectious Disease

Assignment Objectives:

Relate the historical impact of disease on homeland and national security. Characterize and discuss the current threat and importance of preparedness for naturally occurring diseases. Understand the threats from and history of use of weapons of mass destruction. Identify the public health community's role in responding to weapons of mass destruction.

Assignment: This assignment should take about 3 hours to complete.

Lashley (2006) described the key factors that have contributed to the emergence of infectious diseases and discussed a number of diseases that have emerged since the turn of the century. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes The Yellow Book each year to inform the public and healthcare practitioners about diseases encountered in travel.

Read the articles by Lashley (2006) and Ostroff (2014) and explore the Healthmap website. Select one of the infectious diseases discussed by Lashley (2006) or Ostroff (2014). Using Healthmap, locate three recent articles dealing with your selected disease. Look up the disease you selected in The Yellow Book (or on the CDC website www.cdc.gov if it is not listed in The Yellow Book). Write a 500- to 600-word essay and cite the references in APA style. Use outline below as topics to guide development of your essay from your research as described above.

1. Background: What are the major factors that contribute to the emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases in the 21st century?

2. Review of literature: Briefly summarize research (three) articles.

3. Findings of Selected Disease: Describe the characteristics of the disease, the risk for travelers in the countries where the disease is present and the risk that this disease may be brought home by travelers.

4. Summary and or conclusion

Additional Materials

Katz, R., Chapter 3, Threats from Naturally Occurring Disease, Essentials of Public Health Preparedness, Jones & Bartlett Learning, Burlington, 2013.

Healthmap website

Lashley, F.R., (2006). Emerging infectious diseases at the beginning of the 21st century. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 11 (1), pp. 29-46. (Note: requires Medscape account or see copy in Course Materials.)

Brunette, G.W. (Ed.) (2014). The yellow book. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ostroff, S. M. (2014). Perspectives: The role of the traveler in translocation of disease. In Brunette, G.W. (Ed.) (2014). The yellow book. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.