The threat of new infectious diseases arriving from abroad has prompted the British government to announce plans for a new health protection agency. The agency, claimed to be the first of its kind in the world, will monitor infectious diseases and other threats including chemical, radiological and bioterrorist hazards.
Some 30 new diseases have emerged worldwide since the 1970鈥檚, according to a report by the government鈥檚 Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson. Many, such as HIV, have no cure. And diseases that were once confined to the tropics, such as West Nile Fever, are now branching out to countries such as the US, thanks to increased international air travel and immigration.
鈥淭hese bugs don鈥檛 respect international boundaries,鈥� said Donaldson. 鈥淕ood surveillance and rapid response are keys to protecting the public鈥檚 health.鈥�
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Good surveillance averted a potentially disastrous influenza pandemic in 1997, when Hong Kong authorities discovered that a strain of chicken flu had spread to humans. Some two million birds were slaughtered and the outbreak contained.
鈥淲e saw the tinder box, but on this occasion, the lighted match didn鈥檛 fall into it,鈥� said Donaldson. 鈥淏ut on another occasion, it could.鈥�
Malaria and syphilis
Improved public health, vaccination and drugs have led people to become complacent, believing infectious disease to be a thing of the past, he warned. Holidaymakers who do not take precautions can end up bringing back diseases such as malaria, whilst endemic infections, such as chlamydia and syphilis are on the rise thanks to complacency about safer sex practices.
Environmental changes such as global warming could see the milder form of malaria, caused by Plasmodium vivax re-emerging in the UK. Food poisoning, which is also linked to warmer weather, is increasing rapidly.
The new agency, called the National Infection Control and Health Protection Agency, will be up and running by April 2003, and will bring together the existing Public Health Laboratories Service, the National Radiological Protection Board, the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, and the National Focus for Chemical Incidents. It will have a wide remit, including expanding the system of infectious disease surveillance and developing new vaccines.
It will also monitor and plan for bioterrorist attacks. A new Inspector for Microbiology will keep tabs on the security of laboratories handling infectious material. In the light of the BSE and foot-and-mouth crises, the agency will also keep watch for animal diseases and their potential risks to human health.