The Ancient Determinants of Future Infections

Abstract Although we are currently facing many new infectious diseases the human determinants of these emerging infections are quite ancient. These determinants fall into three basic categories. The first concerns matters of human subsistence, the way we feed ourselves and interact with other species and their surrounding environments. The second concerns matters of human settlement and its associated issues of population size and structure. The third concerns matters of social structure, the ways we treat each other and distribute essential resources for health and wellbeing. These were the primary drivers of three major epidemiological transitions that have occurred between the Neolithic and the present. These ancient and recurring factors are also the most likely drivers of the future pandemics that humankind will encounter in the coming years.