Bacterial, Viral and Infectious Diseases

Global Spread of Viruses

The distribution of viruses and viral infections across the world is referred to as epidemiology. Most epidemiologic studies of infectious diseases have targeted the factors that influence the acquisition and spread because this knowledge is important for developing methods of prevention and control. Historically, epidemiologic studies and the application of the knowledge gained from them have been central to the control of the great epidemic diseases, like cholera, plague, smallpox, yellow fever, and typhus.