Global Scans · Global Trends in Infectious Diseases · Weekly Summary

• [New] Tuberculosis (TB) is the world's biggest infectious disease killer with multidrug-resistant TB posing a particular threat to global health. ScienceDaily Newsletter
• [New] Biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, introduced species, and climate change, but not urbanization, are driving increases in infectious disease risk. phys.org
• [New] Climate change is predicted to alter the temporal and geographical distribution of infectious diseases in South America's endemic regions and their introduction to disease-free areas. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The global burden of disease is increasingly influenced by the conditions and effects of globalization, including the worldwide dissemination of both infectious and non-infectious public health risks. PubMed Central (PMC)
• GSK is counting on new infectious disease treatments, such as its recently launched respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, to help offset revenue losses from its top-selling drugs and anticipated patent expirations for its HIV therapies. MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
• The Commission emphasizes that current global threats, from infectious disease pandemics to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, exceed the capacity of any single sector to address effectively. The Pandora Report
• The increasing frequency and diversity of infectious disease outbreaks over the last three decades reinforce the need to strengthen global preparedness and response mechanisms to combat emerging threats. Novotech CRO
• The FDA coordinates medical countermeasure development, preparedness and response to help protect the United States from chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and emerging infectious disease threats. FDA
• 57% of senior disease experts now think that a strain of flu virus will be the cause of the next global outbreak of deadly infectious illness. The Guardian
• The UKHSA Pathogen Genomics Strategy recognises that pathogen genomics is a crucial element of modern infectious disease control, and it will ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of genomic research, developing and implementing genomics to benefit public health, protect lives and livelihoods. GOV.UK
• The viral ecology of bats in Uganda offers another unique One Health opportunity, given that Uganda has an infrastructure for infectious disease response and a history of viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, including of strains associated with bats. Journal of Ethics | American Medical Association
• Africa continues to shoulder over 80% of the global infectious disease burden, with emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases like Ebola, COVID-19, tuberculosis, and Rift Valley fever posing serious threats to health systems, economies, and regional security. Makerere University News
• As barriers to the global spread of infectious disease are diminishing, multiple factors are increasing societies' vulnerabilities to emerging and treatment-resistant pathogens. Council on Foreign Relations
• Tuberculosis was projected to cause 1.25 million deaths globally, making it the leading cause of death from a single infectious disease. BioMed Central
• In the global fight against infectious disease threats - from SARS-CoV-2 and influenza to drug-resistant bacteria-rapid, sensitive, and field-ready diagnostic tools are urgently needed. Global Biodefense
• We forecast non-covid mRNA vaccine sales to reach $10 billion annually by 2034, with promising potential in infectious disease, cancer, and rare disease markets. Morningstar, Inc.
• Korea's Disease Control and Prevention Agency developed an AI convergence system that analyses medical, quarantine, and spatial data to forecast and inform policy responses to emerging infectious diseases. UN DESA Publications
• How the success of mRNA-LNP vaccines has underscored the potential of LNP technology, not only for infectious disease, but also as a promising approach for cancer treatment. T-Net British Columbia
• The Abbott Pandemic Defence Coalition has been surveilling causes of acute febrile illness around the globe committed to the early detection and mitigation of infectious disease threats of pandemic potential. Nature
• Global immunization programmes prevent millions of deaths per year; however, for reasons that are unclear, immune responses to vaccination exhibit substantial interindividual variation and are frequently suboptimal in the populations at most risk from infectious disease. Nature
• Severe funding cuts - particularly by the United States - are threatening decades of progress in the fight against tuberculosis, still the world's deadliest infectious disease. Punch Newspapers

Last updated: 27 August 2025