Survival Medicine

Joe Alton MD and Amy Alton ARNP often  talk about infectious diseases on the Survival Medicine Hour, a number of which are called emerging infectious diseases. Emerging infectious diseases are infections that have recently appeared within a population or those whose frequency or geographic range is increasing or likely to increase in the near future. They say there’s nothing new under the sun, so how is this possible? Emerging infections can be caused by: Previously undetected or unknown infectious agents (SARS, MERS)Known agents that have spread to new geographic locations or new populations (Zika, Ebola, Chikungunya)Previously known agents whose role in specific diseases has previously gone unrecognized. (like some viruses now being thought responsible for certain illnesses)Re-emergence of agents whose incidence of disease had significantly declined in the past but whose incidence of disease has reappeared, say measles. This group is known as re-emerging infectious diseases. The World Health Organization w