Emerging and re-emerging diseases

Abstract

This chapter examines emerging and re-emerging diseases in context of the environmental and ecological conditions, trends and events that together drive a microbe’s transition pathway to that emergence. The study of these naturally occurring phenomena provides insights into possible future disease outbreak events. It also suggests possible ways to monitor for such events through targeted, proactive surveillance. Disease emergence should not come as a surprise. It should be expected, and societies should be prepared for it.