Infectious Disease--A Threat to Global Health and Security

Abstract

Two months ago the White House adopted a new national public health policy for dealing with ominous threats of emerging and reemerging infections. The policy was based on a report called Infectious Disease—A Global Health Threat , released in September 1995. 1 The policy was initiated by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and is known as NSTC-7. The threats posed by infectious disease have engaged public concern via the media, the cinema, and many serious books and advisory pronouncements during the last several years, 2-6 as well as a new journal, Emerging Infectious Diseases , published quarterly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 7 The January 17,1996, issue of JAMA was a theme issue on the same topic, in cooperation with 35 other medical journals around the world. 8 Last month's headline was BSE (bovine spongiform encephalitis). As we go to press, this month belongs to Cyclospora