The twentieth century witnessed an era of unprecedented, large-scale, anthropogenic changes to the natural environment. Understanding how environmental factors directly and indirectly affect the emergence and spread of infectious disease has assumed global importance for life on this planet. While the causal links between environmental change and disease emergence are complex, progress in understanding these links, as well as how their impacts may vary across space and time, will require transdisciplinary, transnational, collaborative research. This research may draw upon the expertise, tools, and approaches from a variety of disciplines. Such research may inform improvements in global readiness and capacity for surveillance, detection, and response to emerging microbial threats to plant, animal, and human health.

The Influence of Global Environmental Change on Infectious Disease Dynamics is the summary of a workshop hosted by the Institute of Medicine Forum on Microbial Threats in September 2013 to explore the scientific and policy implications of the impacts of global environmental change on infectious disease emergence, establishment, and spread. This report examines the observed and potential influence of environmental factors, acting both individually and in synergy, on infectious disease dynamics. The report considers a range of approaches to improve global readiness and capacity for surveillance, detection, and response to emerging microbial threats to plant, animal, and human health in the face of ongoing global environmental change.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR A WORKSHOP ON THE INFLUENCE OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE ON INFECTIOUS DISEASE DYNAMICS
• FORUM ON MICROBIAL THREATS
• BOARD ON GLOBAL HEALTH
• Reviewers
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Workshop Overview
  • THE INFLUENCE OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE ON INFECTIOUS DISEASE DYNAMICS
  • REFERENCES
• Appendixes
  • Appendix A Contributed Manuscripts
  • Appendix B Agenda
  • Appendix C Acronyms
  • Appendix D Glossary
  • Appendix E Speaker Biographies

Rapporteurs: Eileen R. Choffnes and Alison Mack.

Financial support for this activity was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and the Fogarty International Center; U.S. Department of Defense: Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, and Medical Research and Materiel Command; U.S. Department of Justice: Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; U.S. Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Agency for International Development; Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; American Society for Microbiology; Burroughs Wellcome Fund; GlaxoSmithKline; Infectious Diseases Society of America; Johnson & Johnson; Merck Company Foundation; and sanofi pasteur. The views presented in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this activity.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2014. The influence of global environmental change on infectious disease dynamics. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The workshop that is the subject of this workshop summary was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.