The key to some of the greatest health challenges lies in microscopic details.
Preparing for infectious diseases involves staying ahead of the microbes likely to cause it. But more importantly, it means developing healthcare systems that can inclusively protect the lives of people across the world, especially those more susceptible to infectious diseases. Emerging research points at possible approaches to address the next viral threat; at the heart of this is technological innovation.
Battling Microscopic Invaders
Vector-borne diseases — infections transmitted through pathogens via living organisms — are a significant public health risk. A recent study by the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, a global scientific and public health partnership, aggregated the views of over 100 specialists in virology, epidemiology and infectious diseases; the findings revealed the impact of mosquito-borne pathogens to accelerate a local outbreak into an epidemic or pandemic.
While this is a global concern, some regions, like tropical and subtropical countries, are at a higher risk, due to climate change and other social and environmental factors.
Being a tropical country with intense urbanization, India sees a high incidence of vector-borne diseases — in recent years, dengue and chikungunya have seen an escalation in India. In 2022, we reported more than 0.7 million (7 lakh) cases of dengue. However, in densely populated countries, vector-borne diseases can lead to rapid outbreaks, causing severe illnesses, especially in rural and marginalized areas and low-income populations, impacting the wellbeing of communities at large.
In Focus: Neglected Tropical Diseases
The World Health Organization (WHO) enlisted a group of 20 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) caused by pathogens (viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and toxins), including dengue and chikungunya, that pose a significant public health challenge. It is estimated that two billion people worldwide are affected by NTDs, with 0.5 billion being children.
Through an integrated roadmap, the WHO sets global targets and milestones, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, to prevent, control and eliminate NTDs.
A multi-sectoral approach including deliberate efforts to strengthen healthcare systems, raise public awareness, and engage communities in processes that support national NTD program implementation will be essential to achieve the 2030 targets.
That’s why building capabilities for faster and accessible detection, evaluation and monitoring of diseases are so important. Advanced health technologies like next-generation diagnostic tools could be an essential ally in scaling up this initiative.
Prescience with the Help of Technology
The delivery of a nation-wide healthcare program will require never seen before diagnostic techniques with greater sensitivity and specificity to detect infectious strains as they evolve.
Point-of-care tests like the rapid dengue test that deliver quick and accurate results, within 15-20 minutes, through a simple blood draw, serve to play a powerful role in diagnosing infections early on and stemming outbreaks. They can be deployed across diverse populations and remote communities, in underserved areas that don’t have easy access to laboratories. Precise and timely test results make it possible to begin treatment early on and reduce the rate of transmission.
"Tracking outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases such as dengue that could be impacted by climate change is critical in settings such as India," said Sunil S. Solomon, MBBS, PhD, MPH, Chairman and Managing Trustee, YRGCARE. "Also, in environments such as India where the majority of people seek care in the private sector, active surveillance should expand to private settings as well to enable earlier identification of outbreaks. In some outbreaks, even one day sooner could have dramatic public health ramifications."
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