Introduction
For this paper, the article by Cutler, Fooks, and van der Poel (2010) was selected for the analysis. The groups of diseases presented in the article are zoonoses, which are the illnesses that can be transmitted between humans, animals, and the environments they share through food and water (WHO, 2019). The major environmental health problem associated with zoonoses is that they are associated with antimicrobial resistance and comprise a significant part of infectious diseases, including the newly identified ones.
Factors That Can Affect the Emergence and the Reemergence of Zoonoses
The article provides information about the factors that can affect the emergence and the reemergence of zoonoses. The authors note that the majority of zoonoses can be considered opportunistic infections (Cutler et al., 2010). They report that some of the factors that can cause the emergence of zoonoses include contact with animals during farming, animal bites, arthropod vectors, and the inappropriate use of food. The possible way to eliminate pathogen ecology is implementing changes in individuals’ lifestyles, farming, and the means of transportation (Cutler et al., 2010). However, it is crucial to mention that pathogens are subjected to changes as well, which means that they can mutate and recombine, causing adverse outcomes for individuals and animals. In addition, the authors report that the reemergence of zoonoses is a highly significant source of infectious illnesses found in humans (Cutler et al., 2010). To minimize the impact of reemerging zoonoses, it is crucial to improve surveillance measures in regions that can be considered at risk. For instance, such measures may include the early detection of pathogens and outbreaks, the identification of factors affecting the reemergence, enhanced control strategies, and detection of pathogens in reservoirs.
Significance of Understanding the Epidemiology of Zoonoses
The article also addresses the significance of understanding the epidemiology of zoonoses for their effective recognition and minimization. The authors note that it is vital to be aware of the processes that cause pathogen transmission and existing disease patterns (Cutler et al., 2010). The article addresses the peculiarities of emerging, reemerging, recreational, and neglected zoonoses and discusses the effects of the changed land use and urbanization.
It is possible to say that the authors’ intended audience includes both the public and scholars. The reason for it is that the article is written in a clear and not overly formal language, but it features links to existing literature and provides statistical data on the issue. The public health principles depicted in the article include diagnosing and investigating health problems and hazards in the community and researching insights and solutions to health problems (Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support, 2018). These principles are used to address the problem by outlining the improvements of existing approaches that can be made to minimize the effects of zoonoses and the idea that it is crucial to analyze the causes of zoonoses.
Conclusion
The authors conclude that zoonoses can be one of the most serious public health threats the humanity will face in the future (Cutler et al., 2010). However, it is possible to minimize the effects of this threat by improving the world’s population’s capacity to manage and prevent the causes of it. These conclusions support the idea that it is vital to improve the approaches to protecting public health because the problem may become even more acute in the nearest future. Moreover, the article provides insights into some of the causes and risks associated with zoonoses, which is also one of the steps for minimization of zoonoses’ impact on humanity.
References
Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support. (2018). The public health system & the 10 essential public health services.Web.
Cutler, S. J., Fooks, A. R., & van der Poel, W. H. M. (2010). Public health threat of new, reemerging, and neglected zoonoses in the industrialized world.Emerging Infectious Diseases, 16(1). Web.
WHO. (2019). Managing public health risks at the human-animal-environment interface.Web.