Vector‐borne diseases (VBDs) are embedded within complex socio‐ecological systems. While research has traditionally focused on the direct effects of VBDs on human morbidity and mortality, it is increasingly clear that their impacts are much more pervasive. VBDs are dynamically linked to feedbacks between environmental conditions, vector ecology, disease burden, and societal responses that drive transmission. As a result, VBDs have had profound influence on human history. Mechanisms include: (1) killing or debilitating large numbers of people, with demographic and population‐level impacts; (2) differentially affecting populations based on prior history of disease exposure, immunity, and resistance; (3) being weaponised to promote or justify hierarchies of power, colonialism, racism, classism and sexism; (4) catalysing changes in ideas, institutions, infrastructure, technologies and social practices in efforts to control disease outbreaks; and (5) changing human relationships with the land and environment. We use historical and archaeological evidence interpreted through an ecological lens to illustrate how VBDs have shaped society and culture, focusing on case studies from four pertinent VBDs: plague, malaria, yellow fever and trypanosomiasis. By comparing across diseases, time periods and geographies, we highlight the enormous scope and variety of mechanisms by which VBDs have influenced human history.

中文翻译：

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媒介传播疾病对人类历史的影响：社会生态机制

媒介传播疾病（VBD）嵌入在复杂的社会生态系统中。虽然研究传统上集中于 VBD 对人类发病率和死亡率的直接影响，但越来越明显的是，它们的影响更加普遍。VBD 与环境条件、媒介生态、疾病负担和推动传播的社会反应之间的反馈动态相关。因此，VBD 对人类历史产生了深远的影响。机制包括：(1) 造成大量人员死亡或衰弱，对人口和人口层面产生影响；(2) 根据既往疾病暴露史、免疫力和抵抗力对人群产生不同的影响；(3) 被武器化以促进或证明权力等级制度、殖民主义、种族主义、阶级主义和性别歧视；(4) 促进思想、机构、基础设施、技术和社会实践的变革，努力控制疾病暴发；(5) 改变人类与土地和环境的关系。我们使用通过生态视角解释的历史和考古证据来说明VBD如何塑造社会和文化，重点关注四种相关VBD的案例研究：鼠疫、疟疾、黄热病和锥虫病。通过对疾病、时间段和地域的比较，我们强调了 VBD 影响人类历史的巨大范围和多种机制。