What impact can diseases have on the world?

 

Pandemics are large-scale epidemics of infectious disease that can cause major economic, social, and political upheaval while also increasing morbidity and mortality across a huge geographic area. Evidence suggests that pandemics have become more likely over the last century as a result of increased global travel and integration, urbanisation, land use changes, and higher exploitation of the natural environment.

Beyond the public health repercussions of regional or global outbreaks of emerging and endemic infectious diseases, there are sometimes broader socioeconomic consequences that are overlooked in risk and impact assessments. Such events can evoke economic shock waves far beyond the scope of traditional health industries and a pathogen's original geographical range, thanks to swift and broad worldwide travel and trade. While private sector organisations are impacted indirectly by these disease outbreaks, they are under-appreciated but important stakeholders who can provide critical information, resources and key partnerships to public and private health systems in response to and preparation for potential infectious disease outbreaks and their socioeconomic consequences.

Infectious diseases and their related mortality have decreased, but they continue to pose a serious danger around the world. We're still fighting old infections like the plague, which have plagued humans for millennia, as well as new pathogens like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which have evolved or spilled over from animal reservoirs. Numerous infectious illnesses, such as tuberculosis and malaria  are endemic in many places, posing significant yet consistent burdens. When an outbreak (a sharp increase in prevalence in a relatively small region or population), an epidemic (a sharp increase spanning a broader area or population), or a pandemic (an epidemic affecting numerous countries or continents) happens, it causes havoc in both developing and industrialised economies.