West Nile Virus Outbreak
One of the outbreaks of infectious diseases that have been seen in the local community in the past few years was the West Nile virus (WNV). It is necessary to note that WNV is the top driver of disease of mosquito-borne origin in the United States. WNV is spread by mosquitoes and enters the human body through a mosquito bite. According to Stanhope and Lancaster (2016), increased international travel and commerce in the area are the leading causes of local WNV outbreaks. It is safe to say that this is a positive change. Intensive international travel and commerce is a sign that the local population’s socio-economic conditions have improved. Another factor contributing to the recent WNV outbreak is local warming. It is a negative change since local warming can be a sign of global one.
COVID-19 Outbreak
Another infectious disease that has recently appeared in the local community is COVID-19. Here international travel and commerce are also to blame. The COVID-19 outbreak turned into a pandemic primarily due to global tourism. As noted above, the increased tourism in the local area is a consequence of the improved social and economic environment that makes this change beneficial. Another contributing factor to the emergence of COVID-19 in the local community is ineffective preventive practices and a lack of medical staff and equipment (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2016). It shows the deterioration of the healthcare infrastructure in the local area, which is a negative change. There has been enough time and data on the subject to prevent the upcoming COVID-19 outbreak or prepare the local population. However, lack of funding and degradation of infrastructure allowed COVID-19 to spread widely.
References
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2016). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community. Elsevier.