Emerging/re-emerging viral diseases & new viruses on the Indian horizon

Abstract

Infectious diseases remain as the major causes of human and animal morbidity and mortality leading to significant healthcare expenditure in India. The country has experienced the outbreaks and epidemics of many infectious diseases. However, enormous successes have been obtained against the control of major epidemic diseases, such as malaria, plague, leprosy and cholera, in the past. The country's vast terrains of extreme geo-climatic differences and uneven population distribution present unique patterns of distribution of viral diseases. Dynamic interplays of biological, socio-cultural and ecological factors, together with novel aspects of human-animal interphase, pose additional challenges with respect to the emergence of infectious diseases. The important challenges faced in the control and prevention of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases range from understanding the impact of factors that are necessary for the emergence, to development of strengthened surveillance systems that can mitigate human suffering and death. In this article, the major emerging and re-emerging viral infections of public health importance have been reviewed that have already been included in the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

Keywords: Avian influenza; CCHF; India; Nipah virus; emerging; re-emerging; respiratory viral infections; rotavirus; viral diseases.

Fig. 1

Disease-wise reported outbreaks in India. CCHF, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever; KFD. Kyasanur forest disease; ARI, acute respiratory infection; JE, Japanese encephalitis; WN, West Nile; DHF, dengue hemorrhagic fever; DSS, Dengue Shock syndrome. Source: Ref. .

Fig. 2

Distribution of State and district-wise outbreaks of public health priority viral diseases. Abbreviations are as given in Fig. 1. Source: Ref. .

Fig. 3

Kyasanur forest disease positivity in human, ticks and monkeys recorded in different States of India during recent past. Source: Ref. .

Fig. 4

Geographic location of bat collection (indicated by arrows) and Tioman virus positivity in Pteropus giganteus bat (indicated by black dot), North-East India. Source: Adapted from Ref. .

Fig. 5

Place of first isolation of Bunyaviruses in India. Source: Adapted from Ref. .