ABSTRACT
Despite much progress in the development and implementation of interventions to mitigate illness from infectious diseases, there remains a need for public health management of epidemics. This is evident from current childhood vaccination schedules, which are extensive, continue to grow and struggle to maintain adequate vaccination coverage for all the diseases they target. It is also evident from the need to respond to outbreaks following introductions of infections from outside the community, which occur all too frequently in a world where borders are increasingly porous. Further, our experiences with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the ever-present threat of pandemic influenza and outbreaks of ebola virus disease (EVD) remind us of the continuing need to be vigilant against emergence of new infectious diseases.
