Global viralepidemias! - truce is the future of global public health?

K Suresh*

Background: In premodern times, human diseases like Tuberculosis, Polio, Smallpox, and Diphtheria circulated widely, and caused substantial morbidity and mortality. The advent of antibiotics and vaccines in the past two decades, aided by medical advances, improved access to health care and improved sanitation have reduced the overall mortality and morbidity linked to infectious diseases, particularly of bacterial origins like lower respiratory tract infections and diarrhoeal diseases. Since 2020 entire world has been concerned with viral infections, with at least three out of- SARS-Cov-2, Dengue, Influenza, RSV, Hepatitis B, and Japanese encephalitis bothering every country. While in High-income countries three infectious diseases COVID-19, Influenza, and Dengue of viral origin are challenging public health in low and lower-middle-income countries in addition to three, Tuberculosis, enteric fevers, and other neglected tropical diseases add to public health challenges.

Materials and methods: Available data on the internet from various sources from key countries, clinical manifestations, and complications, the management practices and epidemiology, and learnings of many preventive strategies and control efforts. The data sources used are WHO disease-wise releases from headquarters and Regional Offices, COVID 19 Wordometer, CDC Atlanta reports for US outbreaks, Europe the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Reports (CDTR bulletin), NHM India, NCDC India, The National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China notification to WHO, for search keywords used were burden, outbreaks total cases, deaths, Incidence, Prevalence, etc. by each disease 

Results: The war against microbes started with the discovery of the antibiotic Penicillin in 1928, but their overuse has made many of them resistant to antibiotics. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Vaccines and antivirals have drastically reduced the number of cases of viral diseases such as polio, measles, chickenpox, the flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and others. The treatment of viral infections has proved more challenging than that of bacterial infections, primarily because viruses are relatively tiny, reproduce inside cells, and do not succumb to antibiotics. However, antiviral medications have become available for herpes simplex virus, HIV/AIDS, and influenza, their indiscriminate may lead to the development of drug-resistant viruses. 

Conclusion: The swift development of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine speaks to the efficacy of modern science in rapidly countering threats from emerging pathogens. In such situations, People must learn and use as many preventive strategies as possible. 

This article is a review of Viral diseases currently bothering all countries and reflecting the challenges of the decade to come.

Keywords:

Published on: Mar 15, 2024 Pages: 6-18

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/ojpch.000053
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