[Infectious diseases--the progress is huge--a lot remains to be done]

Huge progress has been achieved in the last century in preventing and treating infections. The discovery of antibiotics and the ongoing development of appropriate vaccines have decreased the incidence of many infectious diseases. This led Sir McFarland Burnett to state in 1962 that 'By the end of the Second World War it was possible to say that almost all of the major practical problems of dealing with infectious disease had been solved.' More recently, however, new challenges have emerged: antibiotic resistance is spreading in hospitals as well as in communities, nosocomial infections are both a health problem and economic burden, and new infections have been emerging while others are reemerging. The articles included in this issue of Harefuah, which is dedicated to infectious diseases, exemplify the continuing challenges presented to the medical community by these diseases.