Tracing the diffusion of infectious diseases in the transport sector

Abstract

Despite notable differences in infrastructure and efficiency levels among transport sectors of industrialized and developing nations, technological advancements across different transport modes have contributed greatly to both socioeconomic development and accumulation of wealth. Efficient transport systems enable economies to develop optimal allocation of scarce resources, thereby maximizing wealth while securing the smooth operation of society at-large. In addition to its vital economic role, the transport sector carries indispensable social responsibilities vis-à-vis labor conditions, public health, and consequently, sustainable development. While human biomass constitutes a sizeable fraction of the matter moved about the earth, most human mobility results from the planned transport of goods and services among different geographic points (EU, 2006). This combined movement has an ultimate impact on the juxtaposition of various species of oftentimes disparate ecosystems. While humans build road networks, tunnels, bridges, ports, railways, ferries, and supersonic planes that form effective means to traverse natural barriers to species spread, they often accelerate and even facilitate disease movement from one area to another. Mass processing and wide distribution networks further allow for the amplification and extensive dissemination of potential human microbes. Particularly in marginalized areas, transport milieux are highly conducive to risk-laden behavioral patterns and are thus transformed into transmission settings and vectors of disease (Apostolopoulos, n.d.). © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.