I must admit that I have a fondness for city life and consider myself to be more of an urban than country (or suburban) type, so it was with a bit of personal interest that I perused this a recent article in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, brought to my attention by a former research coordinator of mine.
Urbanization and Infectious diseases. Right up my ally of interest. Unfortunately, these can have important health consequences. Overpopulation, high interconnectedness, economic and social disparities, chronic health conditions, drug use, poor drinking water and limited vector control (mosquitoes, flies) along with low vaccination rates (Hepatitis B), and erratic condom use/safe sex practices can lead to propogation of infectious diseases. These include TB, HIV, Hepatitis, Malaria, Leptospirosis, Yellow Fever, Plague, Leishmaniasis and pneumonia. Others include SARS and novel H1N1 influenza.The authors propose urban planning policies that could potentially curtail disease transmission.
This is a worthwhile bedtime read.
