Pricing infectious disease

Infectious diseases constitute a tenacious and major public‐health problem all over the world. Although some, such as smallpox and poliomyelitis, have been eradicated from nature or almost wiped out, many diseases persist with little or no hope of getting them under control. In addition, new infectious diseases are emerging and old ones that were thought to be under control are regaining lost ground. According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH; Bethesda, MD, USA), 16 new infectious diseases have been identified in the past two decades (NIH, 2008; Fauci et al , 2005); five others have been identified as re‐emerging. The word ‘new’ refers to the recent discovery of the disease; many of these agents might have long existed as non‐pathogenic organisms, but have only just mutated into a pathogenic form. In fact, we are witnessing a slow realization among public‐health experts and the general public that infectious diseases are back with a vengeance. With the discovery of antibiotics in the early twentieth century and the successful eradication of smallpox in 1979, it seemed that humanity was about to finally rid itself of infectious diseases. During the past couple of decades, however, microbes have shown a tenacious ability to adapt, re‐adapt, survive and challenge human ingenuity (Table 1).View this table:Table 1. Emerging and re‐emerging infectious diseases and their geographical locationThe impact of these diseases is immense and is felt across the world. In addition to affecting the health of individuals directly, infectious diseases are also having an impact on whole societies, economies and political systems. In the developing world in particular, crucial sectors for sustained development such as health and education, have seen a marked loss of qualified personnel, most notably to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. These and other infectious agents not only take an enormous physical toll on humanity, but …