The Coming Plague Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, and deaths from infectious diseases in the United States have been increasing in recent years. Infectious diseases ranked third among the leading causes of death in 1992 in the United States. In recent years, the wide use of effective antibiotics, the potential for universal immunization for many childhood illnesses, and success stories such as the imminent eradication of polio encouraged the perception that infectious diseases had been conquered. However, even as some previously epidemic infectious diseases have been controlled, new diseases emerge and old diseases rebound, sometimes in drug-resistant forms. These events present increased challenges to those involved in infectious disease prevention and control. New, Reemerging and Drug-Resistant Infections In the last decade, the AIDS pandemic and a host of "new" infectious diseases, such as Lyme disease and Escherichiacoli infections, have affected more persons each year. The incidence of a number of serious diseases (including malaria, cholera and tuberculosis that were once under control in many parts of the world) is increasing. Illnesses whose causes have not been understood (like peptic ulcer, cervical cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma) appear to result from microbial infection. New or reemerging infectious diseases, such as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fevers (e.g. Ebola or Lassa), continue to pose threats. Foodborne diseases are increasing because of changes in food sources, processing, transportation and diet. Infections caused by drug-resistant organisms prolong illness, and if not treated in time with expensive, alternative antimicrobial agents, can cause death. New or increasing drug resistance has been recognized in organisms that cause malaria, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, pneumonia, middle ear infections, diarrheal disease and hospital-acquired infections. Priority Disease Prevention Areas New, reemerging and drug-resistant infectious diseases Foodborne and Waterborne diseases Human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS Infectious diseases acquired in health-care settings Infectious diseases among infants and toddlers Infectious diseases in immunodeficient persons Infectious diseases in minority populations Infectious diseases transmitted by animals and arthropods Infectious respiratory diseases Sexually transmitted diseases Tropical infectious diseases Home | Product Line | Endorsements | FAQs | Research | Order Products VITAL PRODUX™ 44 Mine Rd. Suite 2, PMB 209 Stafford, Virginia  22554  USA 540-286-2400 – FAX: 540-752-4765 E-mail: info@VitalProdux.com Copyright © 1996-2003, VTI, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Text, graphics, and HTML code are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission. Vital Produx™ is a trademark of VTI, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.