The list comprises:
• Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever
• Ebola virus disease
• Marbug
• Lassa fever
• MERS
• SARS
• Nipah
• Rift Valley Fever
Beyond these critical eight, the WHO designated three more as “serious”, requiring action as soon as possible:
• chikungunya
• thrombocytopaenia syndrome
• Zika
The WHO’s latest Blueprint initiative, developed in conjunction with the emerging diseases list, will focus on accelerating that research and development in diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics to avert the possibility of epidemics. Developing behavioral interventions and filling gaps in scientific knowledge are also a component of Blueprint.
More articles on infection control:
8 tips on how the US can better prepare for outbreaks
‘Story is not over’ for US Ebola survivors still suffering lingering health problems, report finds
28 states ill-prepared for infectious disease outbreak, report finds
