Review article

Global epidemiology of communicable disease

O. Lučev
D. Ropac

Abstract

Although the impact of communicable diseases in developed countries has been significantly reduced, they still present an important global health care problem. Worlwide, the most significant infectious diseases today are acute lower respiratory tract infections, tuberculosis, diarrhoeal diseases, HIV/AIDS, malaria, measles, hepatitis B, pertussis, neonatal tetanus, haemorrhagic fever, etc. In Croatia, infectious diseases mortality is very low, thanks to improved living conditions and developments in medicine and health care. In undeveloped countries, acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infectious diseases present a significant cause of mortality in children. New, highly contagious infectious diseases still emerge. Current HIV pandemic is going to leave consequences on the human population for a long time. Also, some infectious diseases change their identity. Causative pathogens of infectious diseases are nowdays more and more related to neoplasms and non-infectious diseases. The population in developed countries becomes older and consequently changes their susceptibility to some infections. International cooperation and a well developed health care surveillance and protection play an important role in efficient infectious disease control.

Keywords

Epidemiology; infectious diseases; global importance

Hrčak ID:

12635

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/12635

Publication date:

23.3.2007.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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