The Epidemiological Transition: The Current Status of Infectious Diseases in the Developed World versus the Developing World

Abstract

Wealthy, industrialized countries of the developed world successfully underwent the ''epidemiologic transition'' from infectious diseases to degenerative diseases, but developing countries have not yet achieved that transition. This article reviews the current status of Omran's Theory of Epidemiologic Transition, comparing the burden of infectious diseases in the developed world versus the developing world. The advent of modern sanitation and hygiene practices, effective vaccines, and antibiotics have significantly diminished the burden in the developed world, but infectious diseases remain the most common cause of death worldwide. The persistence of this disease burden has been due to a failure to employee effective strategies and to unforeseen developments, such as the emergence of HIV and the re-emergence of malaria and tuberculosis driven by newly developed drug resistance. The challenge in accurately assessing infectious disease burden and developing effective interventions is reviewed along with the most common diseases and current intervention strategies.

Quantitative structure–activity relationships for a series of inhibitors of cruzain from Trypanosoma cruzi: Molecular modeling, CoMFA and CoMSIA studies

“…According to the World Health Organization, Chagas' disease is a serious and life threatening disease, affecting 10-14 million people [1]. This problem is aggravated by the rate at which populations are growing, especially in the developing world, where there is a lack of adequate sanitation facilities and poor hygiene practices which present breeding grounds for disease, illness and suffering [2][3][4]. In spite of the alarming health, economic and social consequences of these parasitic infections, the limited existing drug therapy (the nitroheterocyclic compounds nifurtimox and benznidazole) suffers from a combination of drawbacks including poor efficacy, resistance and serious side effects.…”

Structure-Based Drug Discovery for Tropical Diseases

“…Infectious disease is one of the most serious global problems and represents a major socio-economic challenge facing humanity [1][2][3][4]. In fact, several infectious diseases are amongst the top 20 leading causes of deaths in the world [5].…”

Assessment of Malaria In Vitro Drug Combination Screening and Mixed-Strain Infections Using the Malaria Sybr Green I-Based Fluorescence Assay

“…The emergence of these multidrug-resistant Plasmodium species, particularly P. falciparum, has made decisions regarding malaria chemoprophylaxis and treatment more complicated. Furthermore, it is predicted that increased incidences of clinical infections and subsequent deaths are likely as the rapid spread of resistant parasites occurs (15,23,35,39). Several drug development strategies have been used to counter malaria drug resistance, including optimization of new antimalarial drug combinations.…”