Viruses that Cross Borders

Imagine sitting on a bus  next to many coughing individuals, perhaps even sitting in  right in front of a violent sneezer.  The germophobe in you cringes, right?  Truth is, as many bottles of hand sanitizer we buy, or shots we take, there is not stopping viruses from spreading whether it be from each other, or between countries.

Photo by Xavier Donat

According to Yuki Furuse, Akira Suzuku, Taro Kamigaki, Emmanuel Abraham Mpolya, Irona Khandaker and Hitoshi Oshitani, there are four criteria to determine how spreadable each disease is, globally.  In their study “Viruses that Cross Borders: Factors Responsible for Global Dissemination of Viral Infections,” they study what  factors make a virus so contagious and resilient.

        The research concluded that viruses were classified as either Local or Global based upon the geographical distribution of genotypes of Viruses, how far ranging the Virus has spread.  Factors that were examined were : the biological characteristics of viruses, ways of transmission, host responses and epidemiological  factors.  The researchers found that viruses that were in closer range together looked genetically similar while the viruses that were far ranging came from the same familial tree.  This was a longitudinal study conducted over 10 years.  The researchers found that a lot of viruses while classified as Local can dually be classified as Global.  HIV is an example of a disease that is locally spread and yet has become a global problem.  There are many strains of HIV, many mutated versions.  This once “local virus” has become an issue for the global community.  With the advances in technology that has allowed for more travel of ideas, people, and culture, Viruses have inevitably followed. Globalization has become one of the biggest factors in the spreading of viruses as well as other factors including population density, lack of public health education.
        So then, how does this affect me?
        We live in a time of instantaneous transaction. People are no longer confined to the boundaries of their country because they have the motive and the means to travel.  As a result, their ideas, cultures, and diseases follow.  Perhaps this gives us an incentive to care more about what occurs in a small village in Africa.  Perhaps this should give us encouragement to put more money into foreign aid.   Whatever the result, it is clear that we are no longer a society confined to national borders, but rather a global community that is growing to share in culture, politics, and diseases.
        In today’s global society, everything is spread and shared instantly.  Whether it is ideas, fashion trends, fast food or news, it seems that nothing is set to one country’s boundary anymore.  The same can be said for Viruses.   
       
        Note:  For more: Check out the trailer for the upcoming movie, “Contagion”  this movie analyzes the breakdown of our political system as a disease is spread globally.

Furuse, Y., Suzuki, A., Kamigaki, T., Mpolya, E., Khandaker, I., & Oshitani, H. (2011). Viruses That Cross Borders: Factors Responsible for Global Dissemination of Viral Infections. Intervirology, 54(5), 246-252. doi:10.1159/000320967