Fighting Infection (2003) Select Committee on Science and Technology.

The Science and Technology Select Committee established a Sub Committee in May 2002 to carry out an inquiry into diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of infectious disease. This report is the culmination of the committee findings following a call for evidence in July 2002 the findings from a seminar hosted by the Academy of Medical Sciences and visits to healthcare institutions, research and surveillance centres and public health departments in England, Switzerland and the United States of America. The report includes background on what infection is, the burden and extent of the problem and how to tackle infection. It also includes chapters on diagnosis and treatment, prevention and control, surveillance, information systems, training and education, research and development collaboration and co-ordination. The oral evidence is also listed and the written evidence is available on a CD-Rom. The report outlines the problems facing an effective response to the threat of infection in England and makes recommendations in order to significantly improve services. Without this improvement there is the fear that the UK will suffer from major epidemics which will disrupt economies and which will take its toll in suffering and lives. The recommendations include: - · Developing collaboration · Providing well-trained staff · Improving information exchange · Maintaining public health laboratories · Vaccines · Initiating research and development · Communicating with the public It also makes the case for international collaboration to provide early warning of possible epidemics and facilitation of this collaboration by secondment of infectious diseases experts with WHO and similar bodies.