Antibiotics which once were effective in treating serious infections are becoming a less reliable tool. Pencillin is no longer a panacea for pneumococcus. We ve seen a resurgence of tuberculosis, now including multidrug resistant cases. Optimal management of HIV, cancer, diabetes, and advanced cardiovascular disease comes with a high price tag. Growth promoting antibiotics used in producing such products as poultry and beef may be producing drug resistant bacteria.
Food supplies imported from other countries can sometimes be dangerous to our health.
We assume the presence of clean water each time we open our faucets. This is becoming more difficult to achieve. As we look at these and other issues relative to our health, it becomes increasingly obvious that preventing rather than treating illness is far more economical and effective. Great strides are being made in various areas of medicine while little current progress is being made in the control of infectious disease. Worldwide more people die from infectious disease than any other except cardiovascular occurrences.