An overview of public policy and infectious diseases

Major problems face this nation's health care system; infectious disease and their management are a major and growing part of these problems. It is clear from available information that 40 years after the introduction of the sulfonamides, infection and its management remain an enormously important cause of morbidity and mortality. We are far from being in the "post-infectious-disease era." Unless society and the medical profession understand this and take vigorous remedial steps, our problems may intensify, despite the availability of a remarkable effective group of therapeutic agents.