In this concluding chapter, the role of bacteria and viruses in developing the human species into what it is, immunity and its enhancement against infections, and the role of disease in shaping history are discussed. Some beneficial microorganisms, the discovery and use of antibiotics against...

This chapter discusses the epidemics of health problems that could be major causes of ill health in the future, including obesity, influenza A(H1N1), Ebola and antbiotic resistance.

This chapter presents the history of the occurrence and disappearance of malaria (and its vector) in Europe and English Sweat epidemics in England. Eradication programmes (e.g., vaccination, drug therapy, clean water) against smallpox, measles, poliomyelitis, dracunculiasis, yaws, lymphatic...

This chapter describes the effects of climate change and population movements (e.g., refugees, local migration, and travel) on the occurrence of infectious diseases. The effects of urbanization on health, health service provision, flooding risk, loss of life due to earthquakes and tsunamis, and...

This chapter describes the incidence of cancer (e.g., breast cancer, prostate cancer, bowel cancer), the viral (hepatitis B virus in liver cancer, human papillomavirus in cervical cancer, and Epstein-Barr virus in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal cancer and Burkitt's lymphoma) and parasitic (...

This chapter discusses the role of diet in health and disease. The discovery of dietary fibre, the significance of a balanced diet, the role of infant feeds and breast milk in childhood obesity, and the risks and benefits of cow's milk consumption. Fish oil supplements, dietary antioxidants and the ...

This chapter describes 2 human diseases, poliomyelitis and allergies, as examples of how being too clean or less exposure to microorganisms early in life or during childhood increases our future risk for developing diseases.

This chapter presents a historical account of some of the common infectious diseases of humans associated with unhygienic and unsanitary traditional practices, such as neonatal tetanus, trachoma, yaws and syphilis. The importance of handwashing and hygiene education in the control and prevention of ...

This chapter reviews the animal origins of some of the most serious infectious diseases of humans, which include human immunodeficiency virus infections, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It also discusses the role of bats as a reservoir host for other...

This chapter discusses diseases transmissible between man and animals (dogs, cats, cattle, pigs), including rabies, echinococcosis, toxocariasis, toxoplasmosis, tapeworms, anthrax and brucellosis. Measures to reduce risk of contracting these diseases are suggested.