Getting Ahead of the Curve 2002

Getting Ahead of the Curve 2002

An ambitious infection-control strategy developed and promulgated by the Department of Health, which enthusiastically set out to:
• Describe the scope and nature of the threat posed by infectious diseases to the health of the population of England;
• Establish the priorities for action to combat the present as well as the possible future threats posed by infectious diseases;
• Link infectious disease control to wider health-protection needs;
• Propose a strengthened modern system to respond to these challenges by improving surveillance, increasing the profile of microbiology labs by giving them a public health role in addition to their clinical role, improving vaccines, and increasing preparedness for outbreaks and epidemics.