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Editor's note
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Did you know the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918 (which probably didn’t even come from Spain, by the way) killed more than double the number of people who died in the First World War which came before it?
And did you know the word ‘lousy’ comes from people feeling poorly due to an infestation of blood-sucking lice?
Infectious diseases have greatly affected the human race, including our culture, habits, and language, and we still struggle with many of them today. Globalisation means infectious diseases can be spread to all corners of the world, and some populations are more at-risk than others. Below is a three-part package we ran this week on immunity and infectious diseases around the world, and some fascinating infectious diseases coverage from the archives.
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Alexandra Hansen
Health + Medicine Section Editor/Global Editor
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Isolated peoples’ immune systems haven’t learned how to evade bugs.
from www.shutterstock.com
Maxine Whittaker, James Cook University
There are numerous examples of the havoc infectious diseases can play on communities that have not previously been exposed to them.
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An increasingly mobile global population is making it easier for infectious diseases to spread.
www.shutterstock.com
Allen Cheng, Monash University
Travel allows us to see the world – and bring foreign diseases home. Here's why spreading disease is easier than ever.
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The immune system has to establish which cells belong to us and which are foreign, no mean feat.
www.shutterstock.com
Peter C. Doherty, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Nobel laureate Peter Doherty explains immunity.
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Maxine Whittaker, James Cook University
Despite being so small they can't be seen with the naked eye, pathogens that cause human disease have greatly affected the way humans live for centuries.
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David Griffin, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity; Justin Denholm, Melbourne Health
Here we explore our past and present struggles with the most significant infectious diseases human beings have faced.
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Ian M. Mackay, The University of Queensland; Katherine Arden, The University of Queensland
Humans play host to many little passengers. Right now, you’re incubating, shedding or have already been colonised by viral, bacterial, parasitic or fungal microorganisms - perhaps even all of them.
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Simon Reid, The University of Queensland
With so many microbes capable of hijacking and destroying us, how are we, as a species, still enduring?
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Featured jobs
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University of Melbourne — Melbourne, Victoria
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La Trobe University — Bundoora, Victoria
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Deakin University — Newtown, Victoria
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Featured events
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Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre, corner of City Rd & Cleveland St,, Chippendale, New South Wales, 2008, Australia — University of Sydney
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New Law School Foyer, Level 2, Sydney Law School, Eastern Avenue, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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Deakin Edge, Federation Square, Cnr Flinders & Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia — Deakin University
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Charles Perkins Centre Auditorium, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia — University of Sydney
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