Emerging Infectious Diseases—Southeast Asia

The recent emergence of a new strain (H5N1) of influenza A virus the so-called avian or bird flu in Hong Kong underlines the importance of the Southeast Asia region as an epicenter not only for influenza A viruses but also for other microbial agents. In late 1992 Vibrio cholerae O139 appeared on the Indian subcontinent; and within a few months it had spread to China Nepal Pakistan Malaysia and as far as Russia. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that infectious diseases account for more than 17 million deaths per year worldwide and that at least 30 new infectious diseases have emerged within the last 2 decades. Up to half of the 5.8 billion people on earth are at risk for many endemic diseases with the most overpopulated and economically depressed countries in Southeast Asia at highest risk. Although vaccines and antibiotics are available for many diseases in 1995 alone respiratory infections such as pneumonia killed 4.4 million people 4 million of them children. Diarrheal diseases including cholera typhoid and dysentery killed 3.1 million most of them children. Tuberculosis (TB) killed almost 3.1 million malaria 2.1 million hepatitis B more than 1.1 million and measles more than 1 million. (excerpt)