Infectious diseases are spreading more rapidly than ever before, WHO warnsBMJ 2007; 335 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39318.516968.DB (Published 30 August 2007) Cite this as: BMJ 2007;335:418
- Adrian O'Dowd
Infectious diseases are spreading around the world faster than ever, says the World Health Organization, and new diseases are emerging at the unprecedented rate of one a year.
WHO has appealed in its annual world health report for international cooperation to tackle infectious diseases, which it says are a serious threat to public health worldwide. The disease situation is “anything but stable,” the report says.
Several factors have helped accelerate the spread of diseases around the world: the increasing ease of international travel (each year airlines carry more than two billion passengers), population growth, resistance …