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What 11 Billion People Mean for Disease Outbreaks

The sheer number of people, their interactions with animals and ecosystems, and the increase in international trade and travel are all factors that will likely change the way humanity deals with preventing and treating epidemics, experts say. In fact, the unprecedented growth of the human population in the second half of the last century — growing from 2.5 billion to 6 billion — may have already started changing how infectious diseases emerge. 

"There's a strong correlation between the risk of pandemic and human population density. We've done the math and we've proved it," said Dr. Peter Daszak, a disease ecologist and the president of Eco Health Alliance, who examined the link in…

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  CDC Current Outbreak List

Infectious disease outbreaks currently being reported on by CDC.

  GlobalIncidentMap.com

Displays outbreaks, cases and deaths from viral and bacterial diseases which have the potential to indicate global terrorism

 Food Poisoning Bulletin

Food Poisoning Bulletin is a news source for consumers to alert them to food recalls, food poisoning outbreaks and food safety news. Our goals are to empower consumers and make the United States food supply the safest it can be.

 National Outbreaks Reporting System (NORS)

Use NORS Dashboard to search and access data from reports of foodborne and waterborne disease outbreaks and enteric (intestinal) disease outbreaks spread by contact with environmental sources, infected people or animals, and other means.

Articles of Interest

How common are unexplained outbreaks of disease?

Each time reports of a mysterious new outbreak hit the headlines, there is no shortage of possible suspects. There are more viral particles on Earth than stars in the Universe, and 10 times more bacterial cells in our bodies than mammalian ones.

This Is How Disease Outbreaks Like The Coronavirus Pandemic Occur - And How They Can Be Stopped

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A Belated Look at New York’s Cooling Towers, Prime Suspect in Legionnaires’ Outbreak

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Airline Poop Could Help Track Global Disease Outbreaks

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An Outbreak of Conspiracy Theories

Why do emerging diseases like Zika tend to breed tall tales of sinister plots?

Big and deadly: Major foodborne outbreaks spike sharply

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Global Warming May Spawn New Disease Outbreaks

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Lessons from the NFL's MRSA Outbreak

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Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World Digital Exhibit

Our world is connected more than ever before—by global travel and trade, by technology, and even by infectious diseases.

Preparing the WHO for the Next Outbreak

Public health needs clearer accountability and more judicious R&D investment.

Preventing and Containing Outbreaks

Without proper control, diseases can lead to widespread outbreaks and be harmful to public health. Fortunately, there are many methods available to contain diseases.

The Most Dangerous Epidemics in U.S. History

Disease outbreaks are fairly rare and, when they do happen, are often overstated. In recent years, there has been plenty of handwringing and worrying over bird flu, swine flu, and other diseases. However, the fame of swine flu may be due more to the need to fill the 24-hour news cycle than anything else. Nevertheless, there have been some serious disease outbreaks in U.S. history.

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In a paper published in 2014 in Science, our research teams documented and deconstructed the failure of Google to predict flu prevalence.

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The misery of a measles outbreak at the Happiest Place on Earth is an irony even the most jaded epidemiologist could do without, but the 52 cases that originated in Disneyland in December hide within them an even scarier number—scary, that is, unless you understand how vaccines work.

Resources

4 reasons disease outbreaks are erupting around the world

Many of the pathogens that spark deadly outbreaks aren't new. Researchers have known about Zika since the 1940s and Ebola since the 1970s. Some of these viruses have evolved with humans for hundreds or thousands of years. But viruses, bacteria, and fungi can now spread around the world with greater effectiveness and speed than ever before. And when they turn up unexpectedly in new places, they catch doctors and health systems — and people's immune systems — off guard. Here are four key reasons we're seeing an uptick in infectious diseases around the world...