Health trends of communicable diseases

Abstract

Industrialised countries have seen a progressive decrease of the burden of communicable diseases in past decades. Worldwide, however, diseases such as lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases and HIV/AIDS are still widespread and among the leading causes of death. Management and control of re-emerging diseases and drug resistance are of crucial importance in industrialised countries. This chapter aims to review current evidence on the challenges presented by communicable diseases today, in order to inform policies and strategic planning for health professionals and policymakers in low-income and in industrialised countries.