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February 21, 2008
Researchers Uncover Future “Hot Spots” for Disease
A study conducted by the Consortium for Conservation Medicine at Wildlife Trust revealed this week that infectious diseases are more likely to emerge in specific “hot spots” across the globe, the Associated Press (AP)/MSNBC reports (msnbc.msn.com, 2/20).
Researchers’ findings, published in the February 21 issue of Nature, were the result of detailed analyses of the 335 appearances of new diseases between 1940 and 2004. Using this historical data, they were able to pinpoint future disease “hot spots,” which include eastern Asia, Central and South America, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, western Europe and highly populated regions in North America. Each of these regions are at high risk due to high population density and wildlife diversity.
Researchers note that because HIV/AIDS is thought to have emerged from chimpanzees, future infections are likely to spring up through human contact with wildlife.
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