Human Infectious Disease and Public Health starts off by looking at the historical development of our understanding of human infectious diseases, which it describes as ‘the silent enemy’. It then moves on to consider a number of important pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, prions, and cultures. This overview of pathogens is followed by a chapter which looks at the different defence mechanisms with which the human immune system fights off disease. The next two chapters cover how developments in the medical field have helped with fighting infections, firstly in terms of medication and, secondly, in terms of vaccination. The final chapter looks at global outbreaks and asks what a post-antibiotic landscape would look like.
