Nothing is more complicated and hard to manage or cure as infectious diseases. Its unpredictability and fast acceleration could be quick when it starts. Yet, they share one astounding characteristic: healing depends on the state of health of the patient. Some infected people may not be able to survive the infection and die painfully and slowly, but for those who had the stamina to stave it off will not only recover but will forever remain immune to the particular infection. Some infections are products of lifestyle such as poor hygienic habits, inadequate sanitation, and dirty surroundings. Fortunately, the ways of transference are known, common, and easy to prevent.
Human beings from thousands of years ago would not have the same advanced immune system that we have now which has proven to be a well-oiled intricate machine that fight off infectious diseases such as malaria, influenza, tuberculosis, and smallpox. If you look through history books, you will find influential people that died due to tuberculosis or smallpox or any other infectious diseases. It is thanks to the advancement in technology and medicine which have discovered and created vaccines that have helped protect people from dying of these diseases.
The vaccines have changed the immune system of modern man, but the sad truth is that infections have also evolved which could catch us in a weak moment and make us sick or worse, die of it. These kinds of infections are called opportunistic infections and the HIV virus is the perfect example.
Infectious diseases are categorized into three kinds. The first kind would be those traditional ones that have been around us for some time where their morbidity and mortality rate could be almost predictable such as tuberculosis, different kinds of respiratory tract diseases, and various types of malaria. The second kind would be the new ones, which means that this is the first time humans are exposed and get sick from it. The best example to the second kind is HIV/AIDS. The third or last kinds are the ones that reemerge and keep on returning such as the flu.
Every year, more than 4 million people die of respiratory infections. This is viewed as a setback to the people involved in researching and treating the infections. Measles and polio vaccines have been implemented the world over which has dramatically decreased the number of cases. The treatment of other infectious diseases such as HIV has eluded the best efforts of medicine because of its capability to lie dormant in the body that is being treated. Antibiotics used to be an effective drug against the eradication of bacteria, yet some of the mutated bacteria have become resistant to it. This has led to developing higher levels of antibiotics that can win the fight against infectious agents like bacteria. It is only the fast replication and mutation of viruses that still needs further studies, research, and experimentation.
It is well to remember that the challenges of treating infectious diseases will never be finished. The fight against them will continue as they reemerge and evolve.