Emerging virus are known viruses that has newly appeared in a human population and is rapidly increasing in disease incidence. Some of the reasons for emergence are virus factors, spontaneous evolution of a new virus entity, generation of a novel strain due to co-infection of different strains in an individual (random assortment); and human factors, concentration of people with shared lifestyle, breakdown in publi health, climate change and man ivading natural habitat of animal.

Influenza viruses is one type of emerging virus through the random assortment of it genome. Influenza virus has (8 segments of single-stranded RNA). Random assortment in virus happen in an individual. When two virus of the same virus tpye is in our body at the same time. It can be between an animal and a human strain of influenza virus during a mixed infection can yield an antigenically novel influenza virus strain capable of infecting humans but carrying animal-strain hemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase surface molecules. This recombinant can infect individuals that are immune to the parent human virus. It is also known as antigenic shift. It can cause a pandemics (worldwide epidemics) of influenza.

Virus emergence can also be cause by human factors:

-Concentration of people with shared lifestyle.

e.g. HIV can be transmitted through blood,sex etc. But many people never take this transmission seriously. They were stills sharing needles when taking drugs and having unprotected sex.

-Breakdown in public health. [ Seldom will happen in developed countries; mostly likely will be in developing countries]

-Climate change

e.g. Global warming. Aedes mosquito breed during warm rainy season. With global warming, climate change, mosquito which breed during warm rainy season got more time to breed causing more people to be infected with dengue.

- Man invading natural habitat of animals. [Virus known to animals now infected man]

We cannot control the emergenceof virus in the area of virus factors but we can do our part in human factors. As an individual, we can practise protected sex, stop sharing of needles, we can do our part as singaporean let aedes mosquito breed by preventing any stagnant water for breeding this mosquito. Deforestation is one of the factors that bring us closer to the natural habitats of animals. Deforestation is done to either to clear land or for producing papers. We can do our part by not wasting paper. So let us play our role to prevent more emergence virus. Every little effort counts.

Jiani