ABSTRACT
As infectious diseases retreated in the first half of the twentieth century because of a combination of medical and socio-economic factors, the US Surgeon General informed Congress in 1969 that it was conceivable to “close the book on infectious disease” (Garrett 1994). Perhaps the gods were riled by such hubris, as these diseases have resurfaced and become a major source of social anxiety. While penicillin seemed to provide a magical jab, new forms of resistant gonorrhea, followed by herpes and then AIDS revived the threat of sexually transmitted diseases. Tuberculosis made a comeback in a multi-drug resistant form and other bacteria, such as MRSA, also evolved in ways that rendered them exceedingly difficult to treat. Swine flu Fort Dix, Ebola, mad cow or CJD, West Nile, SARS, avian flu, and swine flu redux or 2009 H1N1 have all engendered dire warnings of runaway outbreaks and prompted concerted societal efforts to contain them.
