Infectious diseases becoming common: WHO

A World Health Organisation (WHO) technical officer in the north Queensland city of Mackay for a guest lecture says infectious diseases are becoming more common than ever before.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) technical officer in the north Queensland city of Mackay for a guest lecture says infectious diseases are becoming more common than ever before.Swiss-based Global Alert and Response Team member Adrienne Rashford says dengue fever outbreaks are continually creeping further south in Queensland.She says she wants to share her experiences about working on the ground during epidemics such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) disease outbreak.”We mobilised teams in the field to actually identify what the organism was and also all sorts of little things, she said. “We had phone calls from airlines saying we’ve had a SARS patient on board, how do we disinfect the toilets, how do we disinfect the seats and the area the person was sitting in. “Those sorts of things that don’t normally come up and those are the things that people look to the World Health Organisation to provide guidance on.”Ms Rashford will address health professionals at Central Queensland University tonight.