Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The influence of vector‐borne disease on human history: socio‐ecological mechanisms
AU - Athni, Tejas
AU - Shocket, Marta
AU - Couper, Lisa
AU - Nova, Nicole
AU - Caldwell, Iain R.
AU - Caldwell, Jamie M.
AU - Childress, Jasmine N.
AU - Childs, Marissa
AU - Leo, Giulio De
AU - Kirk, Devin
AU - MacDonald, Andrew J.
AU - Olivarius, Kathryn
AU - Pickel, David G.
AU - Roberts, Steven O.
AU - Winokur, Olivia C.
AU - Young, Hillary S.
AU - Cheng, Julian
AU - Grant, Elizabeth A.
AU - Kurzner, Patrick M.
AU - Kyaw, Saw
AU - Lin, Bradford J.
AU - Lopez, Ricardo C.
AU - Massihpour, Diba S.
AU - Olsen, Erica C.
AU - Roache, Maggie
AU - Ruiz, Angie
AU - Schultz, Emily A.
AU - Shafat, Muskan
AU - Spencer, Rebecca L.
AU - Bharti, Nita
AU - Mordecai, Erin
PY - 2021/4/30
Y1 - 2021/4/30
N2 - Vector‐borne diseases (VBDs) are embedded within complex socio‐ecological systems. While research has traditionally focused on the direct effects of VBDs on human morbidity and mortality, it is increasingly clear that their impacts are much more pervasive. VBDs are dynamically linked to feedbacks between environmental conditions, vector ecology, disease burden, and societal responses that drive transmission. As a result, VBDs have had profound influence on human history. Mechanisms include: (1) killing or debilitating large numbers of people, with demographic and population‐level impacts; (2) differentially affecting populations based on prior history of disease exposure, immunity, and resistance; (3) being weaponised to promote or justify hierarchies of power, colonialism, racism, classism and sexism; (4) catalysing changes in ideas, institutions, infrastructure, technologies and social practices in efforts to control disease outbreaks; and (5) changing human relationships with the land and environment. We use historical and archaeological evidence interpreted through an ecological lens to illustrate how VBDs have shaped society and culture, focusing on case studies from four pertinent VBDs: plague, malaria, yellow fever and trypanosomiasis. By comparing across diseases, time periods and geographies, we highlight the enormous scope and variety of mechanisms by which VBDs have influenced human history.
AB - Vector‐borne diseases (VBDs) are embedded within complex socio‐ecological systems. While research has traditionally focused on the direct effects of VBDs on human morbidity and mortality, it is increasingly clear that their impacts are much more pervasive. VBDs are dynamically linked to feedbacks between environmental conditions, vector ecology, disease burden, and societal responses that drive transmission. As a result, VBDs have had profound influence on human history. Mechanisms include: (1) killing or debilitating large numbers of people, with demographic and population‐level impacts; (2) differentially affecting populations based on prior history of disease exposure, immunity, and resistance; (3) being weaponised to promote or justify hierarchies of power, colonialism, racism, classism and sexism; (4) catalysing changes in ideas, institutions, infrastructure, technologies and social practices in efforts to control disease outbreaks; and (5) changing human relationships with the land and environment. We use historical and archaeological evidence interpreted through an ecological lens to illustrate how VBDs have shaped society and culture, focusing on case studies from four pertinent VBDs: plague, malaria, yellow fever and trypanosomiasis. By comparing across diseases, time periods and geographies, we highlight the enormous scope and variety of mechanisms by which VBDs have influenced human history.
U2 - 10.1111/ele.13675
DO - 10.1111/ele.13675
M3 - Journal article
VL - 24
SP - 826
EP - 846
JO - Ecology Letters
JF - Ecology Letters
SN - 1461-023X
IS - 4
ER -