The Attack of Emerging Viruses!!

As the name suggests, emerging virus is an infectious disease that has newly appeared in a human population or that has been known for some time but is rapidly increasing in incidence or geographic range.

Examples of emerging virus include:

• Ebola Virus (first outbreak in 1976 and discovery of the virus in 1977)


• HIV/AIDS (virus first isolated in 1983)


• Hepatitis C (first identified in 1989, now known to be the most common cause of post-transfusion hepatitis worldwide),


• Influenza A (H5N1) virus (well known pathogen in birds but first isolated from humans in 1997),


• Legionella pneumophila (first outbreak in 1976 as Legionnaire disease and since associated with similar outbreaks linked to poorly maintained air conditioning systems)

* The 2 viruses that were highlighted in different colour will be touched on!!

Hepatitis C, commonly known as HCV is a viral infection of the liver. It is the most common liver disease worldwide. Also known as the 'silent epidemic', Hepatitis C could have infected a patient for years before actually being discovered. The virus attacks the liver. It keeps on multiplying, killing the surrounding tissue. The immune system fights back, usually causing reactions such as inflammation and fibrosis of the liver. If not detected and treated in time, it could lead to liver cancer or cirrhosis.

It is estimated that approximately 1.8% of the American population is infected by HCV which is a major cause of chronic liver diseases including liver cancer and cirrhosis. Almost 80% of those infected by HCV will develop chronic infection. Out of this approximately 20% will develop liver cirrhosis and 5% will develop liver cancer.

Ebola virus

Being the notoriously deadly virus that causes fearsome symptoms, the most prominent being high fever and massive internal bleeding! Ebola virus kills as many as 90% of the people it infects. It is one of the viruses that is capable of causing hemorrhagic (bloody) fever.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola HF) is a severe, often-fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees) that has appeared sporadically since its initial recognition in 1976.

Reasons for emergence??

With increasing international travel and globalization of the world's economies, breakdown in public health in remote areas, changing climates, and altered human behaviour (includes man invading natural habitat of animals) and demographics, multiple viruses have emerged to occupy expanded ecologic niches, producing disease syndromes in parts of the world where they had never before existed. Most emerging viral diseases in humans in the 21st century have been zoonotic.