Learning about Diseases The World Health Organization has a wealth of information about mortality,
disability burdens, life expectancies, demographics, and other topics related
to environmental health. You can find massive amounts of data in table form
by country, disease, and death rates at http://www.who.int/whosis.
Go to the information about specific diseases at http://www.who.int/health-topics/index.htm.
Look at the current status of Ebola and leishmaniasis, and compare them to a
disease that occurs closer to where you live (consult fig. 8.4 in this chapter
to choose a disease). What organisms cause these diseases? What is their current
distribution and prevalence? What environmental and social factors contribute
to their spread? What treatment (if any) exists for these diseases, and how
might they be prevented? See links on this web page for the newsletter Action
Against Infection for up-to-date information about efforts to stop the spread
of contagious diseases.
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education