The Dynamics of Epidemics, Infectious Diseases And Battle Strategie

BONJOUR!

It's been ages (yes, I know. ages.) and so, to compensate, I decided to share some particularly terrifying information, that's still in the realms of Biology (But I really did want to tell you a ghost story though...It's about this mirror of this olden British Family that's been passed down from family to family for years and years and then, one day..ahem, I should probably stop rambling.)

For those who decided to ignore the first paragraph 'cos I always ramble in the first one, I'm impressed (and maybe a little bit sad...just a little..just a leetle, honestly! :P ) So, today, on the agenda, we've got Epidemics and Infectious Diseases! Yippeee (err, i think?)

• Infectious diseases have always been a major killer.
• Epidemic:
• Diseases caused by infectious organisms which occasionally occur at large numbers (Not

  

  Spread of Bubonic Plague

  all infectious diseases are epidemics)
• Spreads from person to person
• As long as each person transmits the disease to more than one person, the disease will grow exponentially- dramatic spread that characterizes an epidemic- in a short period of time.
• In the Middle ages, the Bubonic Plague (Black Death) Epidemic caused by Yersina pestis spread across Europe and killed at least 3 in every 10 Europeans in a span of 4 years!

• Infectious Diseases:
• It's not the disease that spreads but the organism causing the disease.
• There are diseases whose underlying cause (e.g. a microorganism) can't spread from person to person such as those caused by toxins in the environment or genetic disorders.
• You may be surprised but 20% of all cancers are caused by transmissible microorganisms (viruses and bacteria)!
• Disease, when caused by microorganisms, is an outcome of an intricate interplay between the biology of the microorganism, the biology of its host and the environment.
• For e.g., between 2 people who are exposed to the exact same environment, one may be totally unharmed while another gets a disease caused by bacteria in that environment due to the complex interaction between the microorganism and its host.

• However, the improved sanitation and medical treatment of the modern day drastically reduce likelihood of death from infectious diseases.
• Infectious diseases don't pose the same threat as it used to
• E.g. Beginning of 20th century: In USA, infectious diseases caused 8 deaths per 1000 people every year.

• Individual Epidemics still do happen however, for instance, the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
• Pandemic are world-wide epidemics
• Left unchecked, infectious microorganisms could still kill us by the millions.
• The fight against epidemics lie in understanding how microorganisms spread, cause diseases and how our bodies fight back.

• Fighting a pandemic is very interdisciplinary:
• Biologists: Identify the underlying molecular mechanisms or the infection
• Medical Doctors: Prevent and Treat affected people
• Public Health Specialists: Understand the strategies governments can put in place to curb the spread of disease
• Communication Experts: Understand how to disseminate information through the various forms of media in the best way
• Computational Scientists: Monitor the situation in real time

Lo and Behold! Presenting...Those who Bloody
Save Our Lives!

• Even after a pandemic is under control, the fight doesn't end as Microorganisms that cause diseases are (not static):
• Biological Organisms subject to their own struggle for existence
• Constantly changing in order to survive in the face of changes that we impose upon them
• Their struggle of existence can be seen in the development of resistance to the drugs and vaccines we employ to prevent disease spread
• The rise of Antibiotic Resistance is a direct consequence of evolution of bacteria in response to the drugs we use to treat them.

Thus, as long as life goes on and the Earth is still revolving, infectious diseases and the microorganisms that cause them are going to be around so we're in for the long run, and Pathology and Biomedical Research are not about to leave in a hurry.
Moral of the story? Well, really, all you can learn from this is: Respect the people working to save your future lives that might or might not be plagued by disease (plagued, get it? c'mon, please tell me you do!)

Remember, The Battle Is Never Over against infectious diseases. 

On that cheery note, Toodles!

Love,

us