Epidemic prone diseases in Ethiopia EPHA Expert Group report

Abstract

Infectious agents have caused disease and death in human populations throughout history . Some of the most devastating epidemics ever recorded have been caused by uncontrollable spread of dangerous human pathogens. The plague epidemic of the middle ages was responsible for the death of 13 million people in Europe during a four-year period (1). More recently, in the first part of the century , pandemic influenza swept the world by killing 20 million people in less than a Year's time (1). At present the world population is affected by devastating epidemics that have resulted in high morbidity and mortality.