emerging infection
Chapter: 9b
Any infectious disease which has come to medical attention within the last two decades. Many times, such diseases exist in nature as zoonoses, and only emerge as human pathogens when humans come in contact with a formally isolated animal population, such as monkeys in a rain forest due to deforestation. Drug-resistant organisms could also be included as emerging infections, since they exist because of human influence. Some recent examples of emerging infections include human immunodeficiency virus, Ebola virus, and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recently compiled a monograph on Emerging Infections.
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