Perspective Chapter: Emerging Infectious Diseases As a Public Health Problem

Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) can be defined as diseases that have recently appeared in a population or are rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic range. An “emerging infection” refers to either a new infection that has never appeared before or a known infection that has experienced a recent increase in prevalence. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) pandemic and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) outbreaks are prototypical examples of emerging infectious diseases that were not prevalent before the 1980s and 2003, respectively. On the other hand, a “re-emerging infection” is a familiar infection that resurfaces. The influenza A virus pandemics of 1918, 1957, and 1968 serve as prototypical examples of re-emerging infections. This chapter aims to define the concepts of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and explore their main causes, the microorganisms involved, and why they can become significant global public health problems.