It turns out that both are contagious, or at least that was the theme explored at a recent workshop hosted by the National Academies of Sciences' Institute of Medicine. Presenters noted that, as in the case of infectious diseases, violent acts have a tendency to cluster; spread from place-to-place; and mutate. And like those who contract infectious diseases, people exposed to violence have varying levels of resilience and susceptibility, with environmental influences playing a major role in symptomatology and transmission.
One expert carried the analogy farther, contending that strategies proven effective in managing contagious diseases also work in reducing violence. These include:
• detecting and interrupting ongoing and potentially new infectious events;
• identifying those in the protected population who are most likely to cause further infections and then reducing their likelihood of developing or transmitting the disease; and
• changing the underlying social and behavioral norms or environmental conditions that directly relate to the spread of the infection.
