Publication: Kuş gribi ve halk sağlığı
Abstract
Kayda değer medikal gelişmeler bir yana, son zamanlardaki olaylar bulaşıcı hastalıkların önemlerinden bir şey kaybetmediğini göstermektedir. Gerçekten, tüm dünyayı saracak epidemi tehdidi artmaktadır. Yüksek bulaşıcılıkları ve insandan insana hızlı geçişleri nedeniyle pandemi potansiyeli olan yeni influenza virüslerinin ortaya çıkması bu anlamda özellikle dikkat çekici ve uyarıcıdır. Son on yılda, avian influenza virüsünün yüksek patojeniteli suşları H5N1 alt tipi de aralarında olmak üzere, kuşlardan insanlara türler arası geçiş göstererek ölümcül bir hastalığa neden olmuştur. Şu anda, bir pandeminin oluşmasında gerekli üç genel şarttan ikisi gerçekleşmiştir ki bunlar, yeni bir virüs tipinin ortaya çıkması ve bunun insanlarda ciddi hastalığa neden olabilmesidir. Virüs insandan insana geçiş özelliğini kazandığında bunu izleyen influenza pandemisi oluşabilecektir. Bu derlemede önceki epidemilerin tarihsel ve karakteristik özellikleri ışığında influenzanın biyolojik ve epidemiyolojik yönlerine ve bunun yanında influenza patogenezi, tedavisi ve kontrol olanaklarına ilişkin günümüz anlayışı adına atılması gerekli somut adımlara yer verilmiştir.
Despite significant medical progress, recent events have shown that infectious diseases have not lost importance. Indeed, the threat of worldwide epidemics has increased. Due to their high infectious ness and rapid person-to-person transmissibility, the emergence of new influenza viruses with pandemic potential poses an especially alarming situation in this regard. During the last decade highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza virus, including the H5N1 subtype, crossed the species barriers from birds to humans and caused fatal disease. At present, two out of three general conditions for the onset of a pandemic have been met; namely, the emergence of a new virus and its ability to replicate in humans causing serious illness. Should the virus achieve efficient human-to-human transmission, the next influenza pandemic might occur. However, the subsequent risk for generating a pandemic human strain is unknown. This review addresses these biological and epidemiological aspects of influenza in the context of history and characteristics of previous epidemics, as well as concrete actions that can be undertaken considering current understanding of influenza pathogenesis, treatment, and control possibilities.
Despite significant medical progress, recent events have shown that infectious diseases have not lost importance. Indeed, the threat of worldwide epidemics has increased. Due to their high infectious ness and rapid person-to-person transmissibility, the emergence of new influenza viruses with pandemic potential poses an especially alarming situation in this regard. During the last decade highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza virus, including the H5N1 subtype, crossed the species barriers from birds to humans and caused fatal disease. At present, two out of three general conditions for the onset of a pandemic have been met; namely, the emergence of a new virus and its ability to replicate in humans causing serious illness. Should the virus achieve efficient human-to-human transmission, the next influenza pandemic might occur. However, the subsequent risk for generating a pandemic human strain is unknown. This review addresses these biological and epidemiological aspects of influenza in the context of history and characteristics of previous epidemics, as well as concrete actions that can be undertaken considering current understanding of influenza pathogenesis, treatment, and control possibilities.