Scientists question the designation of some emerging diseases
HOUSTON - (Nov. 9, 2012) - The Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses
are commonly referred to as emerging diseases, but leading
scientists say these life-threatening viruses have been around
for centuries. In a perspective in the Nov. 9 issue of the
journal Science, researchers including a professor at The
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)
say it would be more appropriate to refer to these viruses as
emerging diagnoses. “The infectious agents were identified
around the middle of the 20th century but that does not mean
that they were new,” said Joseph McCormick, M.D., one of the
authors of the perspective and regional dean of The University
of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus,
which is part of UTHealth. “Some of the viruses, including Lassa
and Ebola, have been around for thousands of years.” The viruses
burst onto the scene in the 1960s when outbreaks decimated areas
of west and central Africa. The