Abstract
The outstanding issue regarding recent trends in the epidemiology of infectious diseases is the epidemic occurrence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. SARS is caused by a novel coronavirus, presumably originating from wild cats. This new agent was rapidly identified and characterized, the outbreak was terminated in early summer 2003 after implementation of strict infectious control measures. Especially the high rate of complications and nosocomial infections has caused severe public health problems in China and Canada. The number of persons infected with HIV is still rising rapidly globally. New regions with rapid spread include the countries of the former Soviet Union in East Europe and Central Asia. The introduction of modern antiretroviral therapy in countries with high prevalence is making slow progress, with no visible impact on transmission dynamics so far. The WHO has implemented a number of programs to eradicate or eliminate targeted infectious diseases. Polio eradication and elimination of neonatal tetanus are making slow progress, obstacles to the control of these diseases are ongoing armed conflicts in regions with high prevalence and under financing of programs. Lack of funding is especially obvious regarding programs for the control and therapy of malarial infections. The numbers of patients newly identified with new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are not rising, but rather constant or even declining, making a large epidemic of vCJD unlikely.