In the 21st century, infectious diseases have remained a major problem and a major cause for morbidity and mortality worldwide. Mega cities, mass tourism, shipment of animals and materials across the globe are only some of the factors facilitating the spread of old and new infectious agents. Modern medical procedures such as aggressive surgery, transplantations and other treatments or conditions leading to diminished immune competency result in increasingly more people suffering and/or dying from infectious diseases. Also, as people around the globe are getting older and their immune system is becoming less active, infectious diseases again are among those factors that limit their life expectancy.
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