Impact of changing societal trends on the spread of infections in Americanand Canadian homes

Infectious diseases continue to exert a heavy toll on human health even in industrialized countries. Recent data from the World Health Organization su ggests that infectious diseases are the leading cause of death in the world . Many changing trends in our society have a known or potential impact on i nfectious disease spread and may have an impact on the normal routine of ho me hygiene. Important amongst these societal trends are increasing populati on and life expectancy, changes in urbanization, grouping of susceptibles, increased ambulatory and home care, increased immunosuppression, increased and faster travel, changes in technology, increasing antibiotic resistance as a result of misuse of antibiotics, changes in food and water consumption , and changes in personal cleaning, washing, and laundry practices. This re view will highlight these factors and their impact on home hygiene and step s that may be needed to reduce the risk from infections.