¿Why the increase in infectious diseases?

Lately the world has been plagued by epidemic after epidemic, some known and some entirely new. Why? What are we doing wrong and how will the definitive healing come ? 

West Nile virus, Zika , Ebola , H1N1 avian influenza, swine flu, Middle East respiratory syndrome (SROM), acute severe respiratory syndrome, yellow fever, hantavirus, Nipah , Hendra , Marburg fever , chikungunya , dengue ...

A new virus with its peculiar name always seems to be around the corner, ready to become the next global health emergency.

In a few years, we have seen the Ebola epidemic in Africa (2014), outbreaks of SROM in the Arabian Peninsula (2014) and Korea (2015), and the spread of the Zika virus in most of America (2016).

Alarm signals

Around the world, public health officials have been warning us: outbreaks of infectious diseases are increasing in frequency and severity, and the number of new pathogens is increasing.

One of the most urgent warnings comes from the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Margaret Chan, who assures: “What we are seeing seems to be increasingly a dramatic resurgence of the threat of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases . The world is not ready for this. "

What are emerging and reemerging diseases? An emerging pathogen is one that appears for the first time in the human population and has not been discovered until then. According to the WHO, at least 40 infectious diseases have emerged since the 1980s, at a rate of one or more per year.     

Some examples are Ebola , HIV-AIDS, and Lyme disease . Emerging viruses are often not effectively treated and the possibility of preventing or controlling them is extremely limited.

Furthermore, most emerging pathogens are zoonotic — that is, transmitted from animals to humans — which makes them particularly difficult to attack. " Zoonotic diseases generally cannot be eradicated because it is not possible to eliminate the entire population of animals, or all carriers of zoonosis," explains David Freedman , a physician and professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Alabama.  

A reemerging disease , on the other hand, is caused by a virus, bacteria, parasite, or fungus that was already known and believed to be controlled or eradicated, but it strikes again. This type of disease frequently spreads in a specific geographic sector and tends to be more virulent or resistant to drugs than before. 

Today there are antibiotic-resistant strains of tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, diphtheria, staph, streptococcus, and salmonella, to name just a few of the "super bacteria" that have recently reappeared.

Every year, the number of infectious diseases and deaths caused by super bacteria increases. According to the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance report, released in the UK in 2016, if we continue as before, the number of deaths caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria annually will reach 10 million people in 2050.   

The factors behind the statistics

What a contrast to the optimism of 50 years ago! It was then that the American Surgeon General, William Stewart, made his famous prediction: “We are at a point where infectious diseases are a thing of the past. Basically, we have completely eradicated infections in the United States. ”

Why then the current increase in infectious diseases?

The simplest answer is found in the Bible. In one of his most famous prophecies, Jesus Christ spoke of the signs that would precede his return, and one of them was the appearance of plagues and diseases on a global scale (Matthew 24: 3-8; Luke 21:11).

A similar prophecy is found in Revelation 6, where "the four horsemen of the Apocalypse" are described and the fourth horseman (vv. 7-8) represents the outbreaks of disease (in addition to sword and famine) that would devastate a fourth part of humanity. The last part of verse 8 talks about deaths caused by "the wild beasts of the earth" that could well be animals that transmit infectious diseases.

In addition to biblical prophecies, there are specific factors that contribute to the problem. Many health experts, such as physician and biotechnology specialist Thomas Monath , think that humanity itself is creating its health problems, albeit unintentionally. "The changes we are making in our environment and lifestyle are encouraging the appearance and spread of disease," says Monath .

Some of the ways we are helping to increase outbreaks are:

- Invasion of animal habitats

The planet's population has risen from 2.5 billion in 1950 to 7.5 billion in 2016. This has caused people to start inhabiting places where only animals once lived.

"Many sectors in developing countries used to be very remote, but this has been changing due to human activities such as deforestation, dam and road construction, irrigation and extensive agriculture," explains James Hughes, physician and professor of medicine. and public health at Emory University . When people enter this type of ecosystem, they frequently encounter new pathogens that do not exist elsewhere; and, once infected, they carry the disease wherever they go.

- Urbanization and overcrowding

On the other hand, more and more people are migrating from rural areas to large cities in search of work, especially in developing countries. The result is that many end up living in over-populated " megacities ", along with another 10 million or more inhabitants. According to a report by the United Nations Human Settlements Program published in 2016, there are currently 29 megacities in the world (an increase from 14 in 1995), and 79 percent of them are in developing countries.

Given their high population density, megacities are ideal areas for the spread of diseases, and most of them also lack adequate infrastructure to support their growing population.

"Often the sewage and sanitation systems are inadequate or non-existent," says Dr. Freedman . "Hospitals may be out of stock and as a consequence infected people do not receive the necessary treatment."

- Exotic animal consumption

Some cultures have a long tradition of consuming exotic animals. In Africa, for example, it is marketed with the meat of wild animals such as apes, anteaters, rats and others that are hunted and sold for human consumption. The Chinese have their " wet markets ," where exotic creatures like civets, snakes, shrews, bats, badgers, and pangolins are sold alive for their own buyers to kill and consume.

"Any virus these animals carry can be transmitted to people via consumption, contact or sometimes even through the air," explains Dr. Hughes.

However, the problem goes beyond the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans. The main concern is that contact or consumption of infected animals can generate new pathogens. How? If a human infected with a certain virus comes into contact with an animal infected with a similar virus, the genetic material of both viruses can "mix" and recombine. The result is a new virus that infects both humans and animals.

This process has sparked some of the deadliest epidemics in history. HIV, for example, is a fusion of the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) - which infects primates - and a similar virus that infects humans. Scientists think that HIV originated from hunting apes to market their meat.

- Changes in sexual behavior and intravenous drug use

Until the mid-20th century, having multiple sexual partners was frowned upon by most. However, in today's western society, having multiple sexual partners before marriage is not only acceptable, but the norm. Furthermore, intravenous drug use has become rampant and its users are known to often share syringes. Both trends have fueled the spread of HIV, hepatitis C, genital herpes, and other sexually transmitted diseases, which are spread through body fluids.

- Inappropriate use of antibiotics

Antibiotic abuse has spawned new drug-resistant bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 50 percent of antibiotics used in hospitals and clinics are unnecessary or inappropriate. The problem is that patients often insist on taking antibiotics when they have a cold or flu (which are almost always caused by viruses and do not respond to antibiotics) and doctors give in to their demands. Or, doctors themselves prescribe antibiotics "just in case" when they can't make a diagnosis.

When a particular medication is over-prescribed, bacteria can develop immunity. "This resistance is then passed on to the next generation of the bacteria and the drug is completely obsolete," says Dr. Hughes.

In fact, a bacterium can generate resistance to several drugs at the same time, thus becoming one of the so-called intractable "super bacteria".

The Biblical Perspective

Many of the factors mentioned are direct violations of the instructions of the Bible. To begin with, Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 detail very clearly which animals are to eat and which are not. Many of the diseases that plague the modern world would not be a problem if people did not eat "unclean" or exotic animals, which are carriers of pathogens not present in domesticated "clean" animals. 

Furthermore, Deuteronomy 23:13 says that human waste must be buried far from where people live, to prevent food and water reserves from becoming contaminated. It is not surprising that diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, hookworm, roundworms, cholera, and typhoid fever - which are spread by contact with human feces - are so common in marginal populations that there are no adequate sanitation systems.

Above all, outbreaks of disease and epidemics are the result of humanity being so far from God. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, he told them that they could avoid the curse of disease by keeping his law and statutes (Exodus 15:26). On the other hand, disobedience would have consequences, including outbreaks of disease (Deuteronomy 28:15, 21-22, 27-28). The Israelites, like all human beings before and after them, disobeyed God and today humanity continues to reap the consequences of sin.

All humanity is far from God and vulnerable to the ravages of disease. Fortunately, it won't be like this forever. When Christ returns and the Kingdom of God is established on Earth, humans will finally reconcile with their Creator and receive the blessings of living on their path, including good health and a world free of disease.