How urbanization affects the epidemiology of emerging infectious diseases

Neiderud, Carl-Johan

Certain infectious diseases have been shown to be more widespread in the slums. An example of this is the diarrhoeal disease cholera. Infections have been linked to slums in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with high population density and low income (10) . In several other countries, cholera incidence is the highest in urban regions with high population density (11, 12) . Differences in prevalence of asymptomatic carriers of antimicrobial drug-resistant diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli have also been found in Brazil between slum settlements and more wealthy parts of the community 13). The poor infrastructure in the slum can be a barrier for improvement, but at the same time targeted interventions for safer water and better sanitation Carl-Johan Neiderud facilities could potentially have a profound effect of the overall health.