It should be concerning to everyone that is paying attention that we are experiencing disease outbreaks in the US of diseases that we generally shouldn’t see outside of international travel. In some cases, these are the emergence of diseases that are endemic to other countries of the world, but not the US, and frustratingly, others are the resurgence of diseases that we previously eliminated from the U.S. Consider the list of these diseases in just in the past three years (if we went back further, we could add other infectious diseases to the list such as zika and chikungunya):
2020 – SARS-CoV-2 (novel virus)
Dengue fever (endemic in the southern hemisphere)
2022 – Monkeypox (previously endemic to only African countries)
Polio (eliminated from the US in 1979)
Candida auris
Measles (eliminated in the US in 2000)
2023 – Malaria (eliminated from the U.S. in 1951)
The reasons are many, including:
- The world is failing to appreciate that infectious diseases that appear limited to poor and developing countries are a threat to all countries given international travel and trade (including wildlife).
- The world is not investing enough in research of novel viruses, antiviral development and better vaccines (durability and the induction of mucosal immunity) with broader coverage against families of viruses that pose epidemic and pandemic threats.
- The world is not doing enough to minimize the risks of zoonotic (animal à human) transmission of novel viruses. It is estimated that roughly 75% of all newly recognized infectious agents are the result of these spillover events to humans.
- Climate change and the resulting geographic changes in habitats of animals and vectors (e.g., mosquitos and ticks) that transmit infections to humans.
- The rampant spread of medical misinformation and disinformation, including the well-organized, well-coordinated and well-funded antivax campaign, that has undermined vaccine confidence, and as a result, vaccination rates, is leading to a resurgence in vaccine-preventable diseases.
I have already written extensively about SARS-CoV-2 previously, so in my next blog post, I will cover Dengue fever and subsequently, the other diseases on this list.
Dr. Pate's blog 
Your number 5 referencing mis and dis info and anti vax. All too many Americans seem to be at “war” with science, healthcare and government. This creates a toxic atmosphere for a healthy debate and development of funded plans to mitigate the causes the impact on society and provide a “healing” solution. People resist being told or restricted. We learned that with masking mandates. I see your #5 as really the major problem. I wish it were not. Change and feeling of lack of control is almost more important than surviving. Solution? What is needed? A prominent, well-like someone, with many cheering fans, who is willing to bet his/her political chips on this brass ring.
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Amen, DuWayne! In addition, as I write in my new book, Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak, we have to teach students how to evaluate the credibility of sources/experts and how to identify reliable sources of information. As a country, we also have to deal with doctors who use their medical degrees and credentials to peddle disinformation that harms people.
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