UN/Mark Garten
resulting in so-called “medical deserts”. Populations are also forced to
flee conflict areas and dwell in refugee camps where poor hygiene,
contaminated water and food shortages foster the spread of infectious
diseases such as cholera, measles, Ebola and diphtheria.
Climatic factors, in particular temperature, rainfall and humidity,
play a very important role in the transmission of diseases. In some
areas, the rise in temperature and humidity will encourage the onset
of vector-borne diseases such as malaria or dengue fever. Rodent-borne
diseases are also expected to grow as a result of increasing
floods and droughts. Moreover, the melting of the poles may trigger
the emergence of pathogens that have remained well preserved in
permafrost thanks to ideal conditions of temperature, darkness and the
lack of oxygen.
The impact of human activities on
the ecosystems is destroying the natural
habitats of various species. For instance, the
destruction of forested areas for agricultural
activities is making some rodents move to
population centres, thus encouraging the
emergence of diseases, as is becoming
apparent in West Africa and, in particular, in
Nigeria with an increasing number of cases
of Lassa fever. Globalization, international
mobility and the greater interconnection
of the planet are all factors contributing to the rapid spread of
diseases. Furthermore, and as demonstrated by COVID-19, the
greater the interconnection of the country of origin with the rest of
the world, the greater the economic and geopolitical consequences
of the outbreak.
Antimicrobial resistance also represents a growing threat in a
scenario in which there is an increasing number of infectious diseases.
Standard treatments are becoming ineffective and infections persist
and can be transmitted to other people.
Finally, the development of new technologies is having a very
positive impact on the health sector, generating more personalized
and less invasive treatments and enabling patients to have easier
access to results and reports. However, these same technologies
can be dual-use and be utilized by terrorist
groups. Some of the technologies having
the most revolutionary effect on the health
sector are those derived from cyber-attacks,
3D printers, artificial intelligence,
the robotics boom or synthetic biology.
Of particular concern regarding the latter
is the genetic modification of naturally
occurring and low-risk pathogens that can
increase their virulence or resistance to
standard treatments and vaccines.
We are facing
a new era in
the occurrence
and spread of
infectious diseases
April 2020 Revista Española de Defensa 31