New Report Finds Rising Risk of Infectious Diseases ...(r in efforts to accurately assess...),Health

efforts to accurately assess the burden of infectious diseases in

developing countries, detect the emergence of new microbial threats, and

direct global prevention and control efforts.

-- Diagnostics: New rapid diagnostic tests are needed across the spectrum

of emerging infectious diseases. Improving point-of-care testing is

particularly important.

-- Vaccines: There are still no highly effective vaccines available to

prevent three of the world's largest killers: HIV/AIDS, TB, and

malaria. And, a large proportion of the world's children do not

have access to currently available, highly effective vaccines.

"Recent history provides numerous reminders that infectious diseases are continuing to emerge in the United States and around the world," said James Hughes, MD, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and Former Director of the National Centers of Infectious Diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "There are a number of examples, including West Nile virus, SARS, monkeypox, and H5N1 influenza, which remind us that in today's world, microbes can spread rapidly across borders and from continent to continent. Trends in factors influencing infectious disease emergence -- for example, population growth and urbanization, international travel and commerce, climate and ecosystem changes -- generally operate in favor of the microbes. It is in our national interest to demonstrate the political will and commitment to act to address microbial threats domestically and globally in collaboration with a broad range of partners."

"The optimal preparedness for emerging, reemerging, and deliberately introduced infectious diseases requires a professionally trained and adequately funded public health infrastructure," said Kathleen F. Gensheimer, MD, MPH, S
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