Africa, the infectious continent

Nov. 4, 1999 - While outbreaks of new, exotic infectious diseases — as well as the resurgence of old killers — have surfaced all over the globe in the past decade, no continent has been harder hit than Africa. But with international travelers flying viruses across time zones in a matter of hours, experts have no doubt that the emergence of menacing microbes in one locale could bring about a worldwide pandemic. Are infectious diseases the new Armageddon?

Africa's tropical climate makes it a hot zone in the most literal sense. The continent is, to put it simply, a breeding ground for emerging pathogens.

Add to that environmental changes - such as global warming and destruction of the rain forests - rapid population growth and haphazard development, and the scene is set for microbes to thrive, international experts have warned.





Nov. 4, 1999 - While outbreaks of new, exotic infectious diseases — as well as the resurgence of old killers — have surfaced all over the globe in the past decade, no continent has been harder hit than Africa. But with international travelers flying viruses across time zones in a matter of hours, experts have no doubt that the emergence of menacing microbes in one locale could bring about a worldwide pandemic. Are infectious diseases the new Armageddon?
Africa's tropical climate makes it a hot zone in the most literal sense. The continent is, to put it simply, a breeding ground for emerging pathogens.
Add to that environmental changes - such as global warming and destruction of the rain forests - rapid population growth and haphazard development, and the scene is set for microbes to thrive, international experts have warned.
(MSNBC)