Germs surround us. While some are good, others are downright nasty. Find out how medical researchers are working to win the battle against disease.

Presents comprehensively the currently un-mapped constellation of issues related to climate change, public health, and the law.

Touching on a range of disease, from leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) to COVID-19, Preventing the Next Pandemic has always been a timely goal, but it will be even more important in a COVID and post-COVID world.

The essential guide to controlling and managing today’s communicable diseases The fourth edition of Communicable Disease Control and Health Protection Handbook offers public health workers of all kinds an authoritative and up-to-date guide to current protocols surrounding the identification and control of infectious diseases. With its concise, accessible design, the book is a practical tool that can be relied upon to explain topics ranging from the basic principles of communicable disease control to recent changes and innovations in health protection practice. Major syndromes and individual infections are insightfully addressed, while the authors also outline the WHO’s international health regulations and the organizational arrangements in place in all EU nations. New to the fourth edition are chapters on Ebola, the Zika virus, and other emerging pandemics. In addition, new writing on healthcare-associated infection, migrant and refugee health, and the importance of preparedness make this an essential and relevant text for all those in the field. This vital resource: Reflects recent developments in the science and administration of health protection practice Covers topics such as major syndromes, control of individual infections, main services and activities, arrangements for all European countries, and much more Includes new chapters on the Zika virus, Schistosomiasis, Coronavirus including MERS + SARS, and Ebola Follows a format designed for ease of use and everyday consultation Created to provide public and environmental health practitioners, physicians, epidemiologists, infection control nurses, microbiologists and trainees with a straightforward – yet informative – resource, Communicable Disease Control and Health Protection Handbook is a practical companion for all those working the field today.

This field manual is intended to help health professionals and public health coordinators working in emergency situations prevent, detect and control the major communicable diseases encountered by affected populations. The manual is the result of collaboration among a number of WHO departments and several external partner agencies in reviewing existing guidelines on communicable disease control and adapting them to emergency situations. The manual deals with the fundamental principles of communicable disease control in emergencies, which are: Rapid assessment to identify the communicable disease threats faced by the emergency-affected population, including those with epidemic potential, and define the health status of the population by conducting a rapid assessment; Prevention to prevent communicable disease by maintaining a healthy physical environment and good general living conditions; Surveillance to set up or strengthen disease surveillance system with an early warning mechanism to ensure the early reporting of cases to monitor disease trends, and to facilitate prompt detection and response to outbreaks; outbreak control to ensure outbreaks are rapidly detected and controlled through adequate preparedness (i.e. stockpiles, standard treatment protocols and staff training) and rapid response (i.e.confirmation, investigation and implementation of control measures); and disease management to diagnose and treat cases promptly with trained staff using effective treatment and standard protocols at all health facilities.

The second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century witnessed important changes in ecology, climate and human behaviour that favoured the development of urban pests. Most alarmingly, urban planners now face the dramatic expansion of urban sprawl, in which city suburbs are growing into the natural habitats of ticks, rodents and other pests. Also, many city managers now erroneously assume that pest-borne diseases are relics of the past. All these changes make timely a new analysis of the direct and indirect effects of present-day urban pests on health. Such an analysis should lead to the development of strategies to manage them and reduce the risk of exposure. To this end, WHO invited international experts in various fields - pests, pest-related diseases and pest management - to provide evidence on which to base policies. These experts identified the public health risk posed by various pests and appropriate measures to prevent and control them. This book presents their conclusions and formulates policy options for all levels of decision-making to manage pests and pest-related diseases in the future. [Ed.]