Kai Hong Phua – författare

Initially stimulated by a scholarly workshop convened in Singapore in late 2004, and written over the subsequent 18 months, this volume considers the potentially lethal pattern of infectious disease emergence in Asia. It studies linkages to changes in patterns of human activity, including but not limited to shifts in the distribution and concentration of human settlements and the patterns of movement within and between them. It explores the causes and consequences of infectious agents in the region historically and examines such newly emergent natural biological threats as SARS and avian influenza.Drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives, the book contains analyses rooted in the social, physical and biological sciences as well as works which span these fields. Among the issues considered are the ways in which changes in our natural and built environment, social and economic pressures, shifting policies and patterns of collaboration in responding to disease impact upon our approach to and success in containing serious threats.Infection control has moved beyond the province of clinical experts, epidemiologists and microbiologists, into the mathematics of epidemic prevention and control, as well as the overall physical and human ecology and historical contexts of emerging infections. Not only does such a broad approach enable appreciation of complex forces driving growing epidemic risks in Asia today, it also reveals the importance and relevance of population dynamics, as well as the global urgency of alleviating unsatisfactory health conditions in Asia. The topic and the broad approach has international appeal beyond the region as many of these forces operate throughout the world.

Ageing in Asia contains a selection of leading social systems and programs, with interesting case-studies offering innovative and useful lessons. The book covers ageing and related developments occurring in the most dynamic industrializing and urbanizing societies of emerging Asia. It includes topical issues such public policies and responses to current challenges from the growing needs of an ageing population due to rise of chronic non-communicable diseases, amidst rapidly changing social, cultural, economic and political changes in the region. The main purpose of the book is to provide useful comparisons of social care systems undergoing rapid transitions, and to offer some examples of best practices and lessons to respond to the changing needs due to population ageing.