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A short history of respiratory illness epidemics (1)

Although it has been known since antiquity that certain diseases are very contagious, and that their transmission can be stopped by isolating the ill from healthy people, that line of thought in general was not applied to respiratory infections or illnesses. The reason for that is that only in the late nineteenth century the role of viruses and bacteria in respiratory infections became clear, and that respiratory infections therefore can be contagious. Epidemic respiratory infections with flu-like symptoms have been described with some regularity since antiquity though. In Hypocrates’ Book of Epidemics, written around 410 BCE for example, we already find a description of a very contagious…

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Articles of Interest

A brief outline of respiratory viral disease outbreaks: 1889–till date on the public health perspectives

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently causing the respiratory illness termed as the coronavirus disease 2019 or the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the significant increase in deaths in the current days due to influenza around the world started in 1889 is a continued public health threat because of its intermittent style of pandemic outbreaks.

A short history of respiratory illness epidemics (2)

The history of our understanding of and ways of dealing with epidemic respiratory illnesses thus shows that we have come to understand the causes, spreading, and effects of respiratory infections in completely new ways over the past 150 years. However, there is still a lot of confusion among the general public about the differences between flu, colds, and infections like covid-19.

Unexplained Respiratory Disease Outbreaks (URDO)

Respiratory disease outbreaks are a common public health problem and investigating them can be a challenge. Determining which pathogen is the cause (etiology) of an outbreak is critical to implementing appropriate control measures. CDC developed the following resources to assist public health professionals and partners in investigating unexplained respiratory disease outbreaks (URDO).

While We Endure This Pandemic, What New Respiratory Virus Threats Are We Missing?

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has preoccupied health care and public health professionals for more than a year. We are assured that the future holds new emergent respiratory virus threats that could be equally devastating. What virus types should we anticipate?