Examples of Pathogens Recognized in the Past 30 Years

YEAR MICROBE DISEASE

1973 Rotavirus Major cause of infantile diarrhea globally

1976 Cryptosporidium parvum Acute and chronic diarrhea

1977 Ebola virus Ebola hemorrhagic fever

1983 HIV AIDS

1992 Vibrio cholerae O139 New strain associated with epidemic cholera

1995 Human herpes virus-8 Associated with Kaposi sarcoma in AIDS patients

1997 Avian Influenza [Type A (H5N1)] Influenza

2003 SARS coronavirus SARS - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Source: Modified from WHO Fact Sheet No. 97, 1998, World Health Organization



Today, infectious agents are the main cause of new or recurring epidemics. We face a double threat of newly emerging diseases, such as HIV and Ebola, as well as the re-emergence of pathogens such as tuberculosis and cholera, long considered under control in some regions.