ICTS

Infectious diseases are typically measured by their acute burden. However, for many diseases, the acute episode is only the beginning. A poorly quantified share of chronic disease is the result of an infection from earlier in life. Drawing on work in India and Bangladesh, I argue that these sequelae are both mechanistically diverse and systematically undercounted. This undercounting has consequences for how we evaluate the interventions. Further, the data required to measure this burden clearly often do not exist in current registries and databases. Seeing the full arc from infection to chronic disease requires that we stop treating infectious disease and chronic conditions as separate areas of study. Rather, it requires updated methods and closer collaboration across disciplines to measure this burden and act accordingly.