Emerging and Re-Emerging Infections in the Republic of Srpska

In recent decades, the world has observed the emergence of new infections and the resurgence of a multitude of previously non-existent or re-emerging infectious diseases, for which there is a lack of timely and effective preventive measures. The term "Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases" refers to two categories. Emerging infections are those that are caused by new pathogens. The re-emerging diseases are caused by microorganisms, which reappear after a period when they were not present in the population.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published on its website a catalog of priority pathogens, which are likely to trigger future outbreaks, with the aim of designing effective preventive and therapeutic interventions.

The rationale for these interventions is rooted in a comprehensive understanding of the etiology, epidemiology, and pathogenesis of emerging and threatening infectious diseases. While it is imperative to recognize the crucial role played by evolutionary changes in pathogens, it is equally important to recognize the impact of multiple factor interactions on the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases. These include changes in the human population itself, changes in the abundance and spread of vectors and reservoirs of pathogens, as well as environmental changes.

This monograph aims to summarize the etiology, epidemiology and pathogenesis of the most important priority diseases of the WHO, as well as those with high epidemic potential that are the focus of specific control program initiatives, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. A special part of the monograph is dedicated to the occurrence of these infections in the Republic of Srpska. In addition, this monograph also looked at ways to address these infections through public health surveillance and response systems. Such systems must be designed to quickly detect unusual and unexpected patterns of disease, monitor and share information in real time, and rapidly mobilize global responses, which are the most important ways to effectively suppress the transmission of threatening and emerging pathogens.