Emerging issues in neurovirology: new viruses, diagnostic tools, and therapeutics

In the current era of escalating globalization with rapid transport, changing climate, and an ever growing human population with associated changes in lifestyle, poverty, and war, the emergence of new neurologic infections is accelerated. Understanding their origins using epidemiologic and molecular tools will contribute to improved control of agent spread throughout vulnerable populations. Although few interventions are effective in acute epidemics, the prompt identification of new infectious agents and the roll-out of vaccines together with new antiviral and neuroprotective drugs are promising for the management of future epidemics.