Health officials and those on the front lines of disease control and prevention have much to celebrate this year. However, the continued spread of some diseases remain as a black mark for public health.
The last twelve months have been one of the busiest times for contagions in the last decade. During that time, vital vaccines did not work well, Federal laboratories mishandled dangerous pathogens and health officials have been unable to stop the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. On top of Ebola, other diseases such as enterovirus, measles and MERS continue to hit us from every direction. In fact, in 2014 California saw its worst whooping cough outbreak in seventy years and mumps plagued Ohio.
The flu pandemic of 2009 was the last time health officials in the United States were this frantic. "But that was one disease," while 2014 had more of a variety of fires to put out, says Dr. Marci Layton of New York City's health department.
Many experts believe 2014's outbreaks were caused by a number of factors, but site international travel as one of the major causes. International travelers can easily bring exotic diseases from one part of the world to another in a manner of hours, and these diseases can then quickly spread across the world.
"If anyone still needed convincing, 2014 really showed that a disease threat anywhere is a disease threat everywhere," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts also agree, however, that many of last year's problems were caused simply by errors and shortcomings at the CDC and other public health organizations. The Ebola epidemic is a prime example, with infections of over 18,600 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierre Leone that have killed more than 6,900 people in the last year. Previous outbreaks of the deadly virus only numbered in the hundreds.
Infectious diseases are an ongoing threat and many experts believe 2014 is no aberration. Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease expert says, "I think what we really hit is a new normal."
Things could actually worsen in the coming years with Osterholm noting that Ebola and MERS barely touched the U.S. this year, and the new more dangerous forms of influenza in Asia. With continued international travel, these germs could easily spread across the world before physicians even know about it. Add to that the fact that germs are increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics, and the years ahead could continue to be difficult for health care workers on the front lines.
Some experts believe the mistakes made in 2014 were beneficial to some extent. Some led to an intensive review of safety practices at the CDC and better preparations at U.S. hospitals for handling Ebola and other new infections. "I think finding problems is sometimes a good thing," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, a Seattle public health official and national vaccines experts. "I think all of this helped us [get ready for what may come next]."
