Ebola virus news stories provide a jolting reminder of the power of infectious diseases. With expanding populations, a global economy and ease of air travel, diseases know no geographic boundaries and can spread quickly if effective disease surveillance, control and prevention programs are not in place.
Concerns about this disease are understandable since the majority of Americans know very little about infectious diseases, public health measures, and the work of global health researchers and practitioners. With Ebola virus at the forefront of media coverage and general discussion, it is important to note that community knowledge is a powerful deterrent to fear. Education can help dispel myths and support practical prevention tools for this and other serious communicable diseases.
Emory has embraced the importance of global health with active educational and research efforts throughout the university and an internationally recognized Global Health Institute. Researchers at Emory seek new and better vaccines and medications, study how to reduce rates of infectious and non-communicable diseases, identify environmental hazards and behavioral risk factors, and study the basic sciences, including genetics and immunology, to improve health in the U.S. and beyond.
Yesterday was influenza A (H1N1), today is Ebola, tomorrow will be another infectious disease that may yet be discovered. However, global health challenges go beyond infectious diseases, as non-communicable or “chronic” diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes have become global threats to longevity and quality of life.
Addressing global health issues is a multi-national endeavor that has a broad impact. While it is a moral imperative that we help populations around the world become and remain healthy, we must also remember that healthy populations are good for development, business, civil order and national security. A healthy population provides a nation with the necessary stability to compete in a dynamic, interconnected world.
Global health affects us all. Rather than reacting through panic and fear to just one current disease threat of the moment, the best approach to preventing and limiting the spread of communicable and non-communicable diseases is preparedness, research, training and partnership.
In the United States, facilities providing health care and public health departments should maintain their surveillance efforts and be on the lookout for patients with symptoms of potentially serious infectious diseases, particularly when these individuals have recently traveled to infected areas. All hospitals should prepare to use their existing facilities to isolate patients, when appropriate, using current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols for infection control. Funding for new scientific research and public health are also essential if we are to prevent and fight serious global diseases.
Public health practitioners, physicians and nurses must share information readily with colleagues to create a strong team approach and help educate the public for a better understanding of health threats and how to prevent and control them. And we must continue to work with partners in other countries in a shared international effort. That’s why it’s called global health.
Dr. Jeffrey Koplan is vice president of Global Health at Emory University. Dr. Carlos del Rio is chairman of the Hubert Department of Global Health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
