Globalized Virus Infections: The Case of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Uruguay

The world is once again suffering from infectious diseases just as it was 200 years ago, when the medical and biological sciences were in their infancy. Today, however, these diseases present themselves with unusual strength. Infectious diseases should not be studied in isolation; their historical contexts are also part of the problem. Courses of action taken in the past shape conditions in the future. As social conditions change, old diseases have returned and new ones have appeared. The cases of AIDS and foot-and-mouth disease are paradigmatic. A series of global changes has had a direct impact on the spread of infectious diseases both in humans and in other living beings. Among these are increasing poverty, increasing migration, the privatization of research and education, and the expansion of international commerce and competition. The epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease in Uruguay is examined.