Am J Epidemiol 2003; 158:606.
Copyright © 2003 by Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
BOOK REVIEWS |
The Global Threat of New and Reemerging Infectious Diseases: Reconciling U.S. National Security and Public Health Policy
School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029
By Jennifer Brower and Peter Chalk
ISBN 0-8330-3293-3, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California (Telephone: 877-584-8642, Fax: 310-451-6915, World Wide Web URL: http://www.rand.org), 2003, 163 pp., $20.00 (paperback)
The recognition of emerging and reemerging infections as neglected threats to public health was documented by the publication of an Institute of Medicine report on the subject in 1992 (1). Since that time, there has been increasing attention paid to the problem, both in studies and in funding of specific activities. More recently, the potential relation between emerging infections and the bioterrorist threat has generated increased financial support for components of the public health infrastructure, such as local health departments, which had been poorly funded for many years.
The volume entitled The Global Threat of New and Reemerging Infectious Diseases (2) is the product of a study sponsored by the RAND Corporation. It attempts to provide background information on emerging infections to persons whose work involves national security and policy considerations. From my standpoint, the review of emerging infectious diseases in the book is rather superficial. This is not to say that it is inadequate for readers who are more interested in the policy areas. More importantly, I found little that was new in other aspects covered.
In chapter 3, the authors use the impact of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in South Africa as a case study. They interviewed persons directly affected by the pandemic in various parts of the country. This chapter contains some first-hand information and documents the devastating effect that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is having. The overall issues raised are not new to anyone familiar with the epidemiology of AIDS in this region. However, they may be of interest to policy-makers deciding on fiscal appropriations for control of HIV infection in Africa.
The book was first published in 2002, but there is little reference to the immense change in the US political landscape produced by the anthrax episode of 2001. Much of the federal financial response was already in place by the first half of 2002, and funding of new programs, largely involving the ability to respond to infectious diseases, actually occurred in the second half of the year. There is little mention in the book of any of this activity—not even detailed coverage of the enormous political impact of the anthrax episode that started it. While this situation may be a result of the timing of the RAND study, it still means that the book’s conclusions are, to an extent, out of date.
This small volume may be of use to policy-makers in giving them an overview of the issues pertaining to emerging infections. However, it would be far better for epidemiologists to consult the original documents, starting with the Institute of Medicine report (1) and the response of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (3).
REFERENCES
- Shope RE, Oaks SC Jr, Lederberg JS, eds. Emerging infections: microbial threats to human health in the United States. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1992.
- Brower J, Chalk P. The global threat of new and reemerging infectious diseases: reconciling U.S. national security and public health policy. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2002.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Addressing emerging infectious disease threats: a prevention strategy for the United States. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1994.
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