GLOBAL CHANGE AND HUMAN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISEASE

Although the loss of good health is inherently unpredictable, human behavior at the individual and societal levels profoundly influences the incidence and evolution of disease. In this review, we define the human epidemiological environment and describe key biophysical, economic, sociocultural, and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of energy and the environment 1996-01, Vol.21 (1), p.125-144
Main Authors: Daily, Gretchen C, Ehrlich, Paul R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
agricultural economics
agriculture
Analysis. Health state
antibiotic resistance
biodiversity loss
Biological and medical sciences
disease
environment
Epidemiology
General aspects
global change
human health and safety
human population
macroeconomics
Medical sciences
medicine
meteorology and climatology
production economics
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Request full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although the loss of good health is inherently unpredictable, human behavior at the individual and societal levels profoundly influences the incidence and evolution of disease. In this review, we define the human epidemiological environment and describe key biophysical, economic, sociocultural, and political factors that shape it. The potential impact upon the epidemiological environment of biophysical aspects of global change-changes in the size, mobility, and geographic distribution of the human population; land conversion; agricultural intensification; and climate change-is then examined. Human vulnerability to disease is strongly and deleteriously influenced by many of these ongoing, intensifying alterations. We then examine threats to human defenses against disease, including immune suppression, loss of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge, and the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Effective responses will require greatly enhanced attention by and collaboration among experts in diverse academic disciplines, in the private sector, and in government worldwide.
ISSN:1056-3466
2328-2126
DOI:10.1146/annurev.energy.21.1.125