ABSTRACT

I want to turn my attention now to the diffusion of disease in the latter years of the 20th century and the first part of the 21st. I focus in part on diseases (such as tuberculosis) that have been with us for many years but have re-emerged strongly, in part associated with relatively new infections, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Since both are, to a large extent, diseases that impact most acutely on the poorest people in society, it is appropriate to place these in the context of global inequalities. Next, I examine diseases that bind animals and humans into new networks, examining the spread of strains of influenza that can cause illness or death among human populations, I also consider the spread of foot and mouth disease, since the mobilities of cattle (and humans, to an extent) are relevant to the discussion.