ABSTRACT
Communicable diseases and their control remain high on the agenda of many countries worldwide, the optimism of the post-Second World War era being replaced with concerns over emerging and resurgent infections, the spread of antimicrobial resistance and the threat of bioterrorism. A robust legal framework underpinning the surveillance, investigation and control of communicable disease is required. However, the legislative and administrative arrangements currently in place in the United Kingdom have been criticized by many in their adequacy to fulfil this obligation. This chapter discusses the history of communicable disease law and administration in the United Kingdom, recent developments in international, regional and national communicable disease legislation, the formation of the Health Protection Agency and the need for a review of the present legislative and administrative arrangements.
