The Conquest of Infectious Diseases: Who Are We Kidding?

The 20th century has seen unprecedented scientific progress and so it is ironic that as the century draws to a close, scientists and clinicians must learn to deal with emerging new infectious agents whose existence in human beings was proved only in the past few years (1). Almos t a quarter century ago, the Surgeon General of the United States testified to Congress that it was time to "close the book on infectious diseases " (2). The wide use of effective antibiotics, the potential for uni-versal vaccination for many major childhood illnesses, and success stories, such as the eradication of smallpox in 1977, encouraged the perception that infectious dis-eases had been conquered. The stark reality is that infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide (3) and remain a lead