Science Translational Medicine
5 October 2011 vol 3, issue 103
http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/current

Commentary
Science and Health Policy
The Changing Burden of Infectious Disease in Europe
Robin Fears, Jos W. M. van der Meer, and Volker ter Meulen
5 October 2011: 103cm30

Abstract
Infectious diseases continue to pose major public health challenges in developed, as well as developing, countries. The European Academies Science Advisory Council aims to integrate multidisciplinary analyses to define priorities for European surveillance of new, growing, or potential threats from antimicrobial resistance, vector-borne disease, and pandemic influenza. There is a concomitant need to apply such knowledge toward the development of improved health care and robust policies. We discuss how translational medicine can bridge these global issues by helping to mobilize resources between academia, industry, health care services, and policy-makers.