Transcript Economic, Social, and/or Political Impact of Infectious Diseases

Michelle Pryce
Microbiology 400
16 April 2009
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Defining terms
The impact of infectious disease throughout
history.
Social, political, and/or economic impacts of
selected diseases from 2000-2009.
The future of infectious diseases
Summary
References
Questions
Defining Terms
Pandemic—an infectious
disease that occurs over a
wide geographic area and
affects an exceptionally
high proportion of the
population (17)
Epidemic—an outbreak
of sudden rapid spread,
growth, or development
of a disease limited to a
geographical area.(15)
Infectious Disease—
disease caused by an
organism’s entry into the
body, and the subsequent
growth of the organism
(16)
PANDEMICS
 Typhoid fever --430BC
 Antonine Plague-- 165-265AD
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‘smallpox’ --2 separate
outbreaks
Justinian plague-- 540-750 AD
‘bubonic plague’
Black Death --1300’s AD
Typhus --1490’s
Influenza-- 1510
Cholera 1-7-- 1821-1966
Influenza 1918-19
HIV 1981-present
EPIDEMICS
 1800’s --plague India, Persia,
Iraq
 1840—Cape Town—smallpox
 1900—W Africa—yellow fever
 1994—India—bubonic plague
 1997—China—avian influenza
 2002-3 China—SARS
 2007—Congo-Ebola
 2007-8 –Philippines--dengue
fever
 2007-8 --Vietnam—cholera
(23)
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Explorers introduced new diseases to ‘foreign’
territories killing natives, allowing for easier
conquests of new territories. (20)
Infectious diseases have been used as
‘bioterrorism agents’ as far back as Ancient
Greek times (catapulting infected bodies over
city walls to infect inhabitants) (20)
Catastrophic population loss is necessary to
ensure human survival. A 50% population loss
could be restored in less than 2 generations. (20)
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2001 Anthrax Postal Scare
 5 people died, 22 sickened
from inhaled anthrax spores (4)
 Letters were mailed through
USPS to politicians and news
media
(14)
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Economic Costs
 $200m over 5 yr (2007-11)
by USPS for anthrax test
cartridges (11).
 $240m for construction of
biosafety level 4 labs in
Boston and Galveston (8).
 According to CDC, costs
associated with an anthrax
attack estimated at $26b
per 100,000 people
affected (5).
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774 people died; fear of SARS
led to decrease in consumer
demand for travel services (2)
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Reduced foreign confidence
in Chinese government to
handle epidemic (22)
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Speediness of transmission
led to decreased social
interactions and decrease in
service-related interactions
(2)
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Loss of foreign investors’
confidence impact China’s
future growth (22)
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Since epidemic lasted only 6
months, it is only predicted to
affect China’s economy for 10
years (2)
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Psychological shock sent
ripples far beyond China. (2)
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SARS spread quickly around
the globe.
Countries such as Canada,
Hong Kong, and Singapore
enacted legal quarantine to
prevent spread of SARS.(12)
 In April 2003, US added SARS
to list of diseases which CDC
has authority to legally
quarantine a victim. (12)
 These actions probably
prevented a world-wide
pandemic of SARS.(13)
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HIV is severely affecting
armed forces of several
countries (1)
AIDS is #1 killer of
soldiers and police force
in Africa. (1)
5000 rejected from
Russian military in last 2
years. (1)
Beginning to see
shortages in China and
India (1)
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Trained soldiers are
expensive and difficult to
replace
UN peacekeepers have
spread HIV in certain
areas which undermine
trust in UN missions (1)
Failed states are
inherently unstable and
may resort to terrorism
to finance governments
(1)
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An intermediate-tosevere HIV outbreak in
Russia, China, and India
could bring 193-259
million new cases of HIV
by 2025. (1)
All 3 have nuclear
weapons and
governmental instability
could have major
political, economic, and
military repercussions (1)
2008-SALMONELLA
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1407 people infected with
salmonella from April-August
2008 (6)
Linked to tomatoes
Tomato industry lost $200m
600 people infected with
salmonella from 9/1/082/8/09 (6)
Peanut Corp, LLC fined
$14.6m for health violations
that led to salmonella
infections (10)
2006-E.COLI
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199 people infected with E.
coli O157:H7 in a 3 week
period in Aug/Sept 2006 (7)
51% were hospitalized (7)
3 people died; 16%
developed acute renal
failure(7)
Costs millions to spinach
producers and restaurants
(7)
ANTHRAX
A crop duster could spread
anthrax spores to up to 3m
people in less that 3 hrs (4)
 Only 5000 -8000 spores
needed to infect lung (4)
 Almost always fatal
 Overwhelm medical and
economical infrastructure
of affected area
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SARS
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Previous handling of SARS
cases indicated that
appropriate measures were
taken to prevent global
pandemic (3)
As long as global
surveillance and reporting
continues, studies indicate
that SARS will continue to
be ‘the pandemic that
could have been’ (3)
HIV
FOOD BORNE ILLNESS
New cases will continue to
appear
 As more people die,
infrastructure will collapse
in some areas
 Could be catalyst in a
future nuclear war
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Changes in food production
and supply continue to cause
nation-wide infection (7)
 Efforts of USDA, CDC, WHO,
and other government
agencies increase safety of
some, but not all products. (9)
 Until there are ways to
monitor all commercial
animal farms and vegetable
farms, food borne illness will
continue to be a problem.
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Infectious disease had shaped the course of
history.
Infectious disease has an effect on political
policy.
Economic costs of dealing infectious disease
are astronomical.
Ill-prepared societies are at risk for extinction
due to aftermath of large-scale infectious
disease outbreaks.
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1. Feldbaum H, Lee K, Patel P (2006) The National Security Implications of HIV/AIDS. PLoS Med 3(6):
e171 doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0030171
2. Keogh-Brown, Marcus Richard, Richard Davis Smith.“The economic impact of SARS: How does the
reality match the predictions?” 2008 Health Policy DOI: 10.1016/j.helathpol.2008.03.003.
3. Knobler, Stacey (ED). Learning from SARS: Preparing for the next disease outbreak. Lee, Jong-Wha
and Warwick McKibbin“Estimating the Global Economic Costs of SARS” pg 92-99.
4. Learner, K Lee and Brenda Wilmoth, Ed.“Anthrax, Terrorist Use as a Biological Weapon.” World of
Microbiology and Immunology. Gale Cengage, 2003. enotes.com 2006. accessed April 2009.
5. Learner, K Lee and Brenda Wilmoth Ed. “The Economic Impact of a Bioterrorist Attack” World of
Microbiology and Immunology. Gale Cengage, 2003. enotes.com 2006. accessed April 2009.
6. Maki, Dennis G, MD. “Coming to Grips with Foodborne Infection—Peanut Butter, Peppers, and
Nationwide Salmonlla Outbreak” N Engl J Med vol360:949-953. March 5, 2009 Number 10.
7. Maki, Dennis G, MD. “Don’t Eat the Spinach—Controlling Food Borne Infectious Disease” N Engl J
Med. Vol 355:1952-1955 November 9, 2006.
8. Richardson, Louise, PhD. “Buying Biosafety—Is the price right?” N Engl J Med vol 350: 2121-2123.
May 20, 2004
9. Sandler, Robert, James Everhart, Mark Donowitz, Elizabeth Adams, Kelly Cronin, Clifford Goodman,
Eric Gemmen, Shefali Shah, Aida Avdic, Robin Rubin. “The Burden of selected digestive disease in the
United States”. J Gastroenterology. May 2002. vol 122, issue 5, pg 1500-1511).
10. www.associatedpress.com. April 9, 2009.
11. “www.bio-medicine.org/biology-technology-1 “Cephid enters into 5-yr
agreement with Northrup Grumman for the purchase of Anthrax Test Cartridges
for use in USPS Biohazard Detection Systems” August 16, 2007. accessed April
2009.
 12 www.cdc.gov/agent/anthrax.htm
 13. www.cdc.gov /nciod/sars/quarantineqa.htm
 14. www.fbi.gov
 15. www.merriam-webster.com/epidemic
 16. www.merriam-webster.com/infectious disease
 17. www.merriam-webster.com/pandemic
 18. www.nctm.org/resources
 19. www. nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/severeacuterespiratorysyndrome.htm
 20. www.nonprophet.typepad.com
 21. www.pandemicflu.gov
 22. www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0030171
 23. www.123explore.com
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1. What are the 3 pathways for HIV/AIDS to impact US national Security?
Choose 1 and describe how it impacts national security.
 The three pathways are strategically important people, strategically important
states, and peripherally important states/regions.
 Soldiers and peacekeeper are strategically important people. If they can no longer
perform their job due to sickness or death, governments are left vulnerable to
attacks from rogue operators.
 China, Russia, and India are strategically important states. They represent three of
the largest populations in the world. Each has the capacity to deliver nuclear
attacks. Should their government fail, a potential nuclear war could erupt. These
areas are also home to known separatist groups who currently have issue with the
governments. Political instability could give these groups a reason to attack.
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2. True or False. The Center for Disease Control can legally quarantine a
suspected victim of SARS.
 TRUE, the CDC is empowered to detain, medically examine, and/or conditionally
release persons suspected of carrying a communicable disease—list updated in
2003 to include SARS.
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3. How has infectious diseases shaped history.
 Several answers
 Throughout history infectious diseases have ended wars. The invading
armies brought with them disease endemic to their area. This diseases
were unleashed on a new population, killing the native population.
Infectious diseases have shaped Ancient Greek history, Early Eurpoean
history, the Middle Ages, and colonization of new lands.
 Infectious disease has managed human population. Several times, an
epidemic has killed ¼-1/2 of current population. Infectious disease has
kept Earth’s resources usable by managing its population.
 4. The CDC estimates an anthrax bioterrorism attack will cost
_______ per ______ people affected.
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A. $15 million/1 million
B. $42 million/100,ooo
C. $153 million/ 1000
D. $26 billion/100,000