Diseases Have Changed

In the 19th century, scientists discovered a range of agents causing ancient scourges such as anthrax, staph, TB and tetanus. In the l970's and 80s, it wasn't pathogens experts were discovering but new syndromes: children getting sick with rashes and fever in the suburban areas of the Americas, people suffering from liver and renal disease after consuming undercooked meat. One of the changes affecting human health was increasingly intensive poultry farming, which ma account for the global spread of bird flu. It should not come as a surprise that we are seeing more and more disease outbreaks coming from the animal sector. The majority of the 39 new diseases have come from animals, including Ebola, SARS, and bird flu.