Dr. John Cahill explains that a number of tropical diseases, if left unrecognized or untreated, can have devastating outcomes. Unfortunately, he sees this on a daily basis. There are people who return from their travels with serious viral or parasitic infections. In good hands, it can be very easily treated, but without seeking the correct care or going to a physician who doesn't understand the implications of these diseases, they can be misdiagnosed or missed. (Read more about The Challenges of Overseas Medical Evacuations)

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Dr. John Cahill discusses about how traveling abroad has become very easy - it's relatively cheap, readily available, enjoyable, and a click away on the internet. But many people don't seem to realize there are health risks involved when traveling, particularly when traveling to the developing world or to the tropics. Travelers need to think about being vaccinated for diseases that might not occur in the United States. (Read more about The Dangers of Infections During Travel)

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Dr. John Cahill discusses some of the challenges we face with infectious diseases that are constantly emerging and changing. SARS is an example of a virus that until several years ago, we had never heard about. So the possibility of new viruses emerging is a very real threat. Another challenge we face is bacteria evolving and growing resistant to antibiotics. It's becoming a huge problem in the developed world where we take antibiotics for granted. Doctors are constantly prescribing antibiotics and patients routinely expect to receive them for any number of minor infections. This gross distribution of antibiotics has contributed to the formation of "superbugs" that are resistant to the antibiotics we typically use. The reality is that we don't have the technology or the resources to continue developing the drugs needed to fight off all these mutations and resistance strains that keep developing. (Read more about The Challenge of Emerging Infectious Diseases)

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Dr. John Cahill explains that though Infectious Disease specialists would like to vaccinate everyone, getting a large amount of people vaccinated can provide a barrier for most of the group. If enough of a population gets vaccinated then the potential for disease to travel across the globe, or even within U.S., is greatly diminished. In the event of a serious outbreak, we would start by vaccinating the health care providers. We would then vaccinate people serving sectors valuable to society infrastructure like police officers and firemen. (Read more about The Concept of Herd Immunization)

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Dr. John Cahill explains that our world is becoming increasingly small and easy access air travel and global urbanization has created the possibility for the very real threat of pandemic. The internet has made international travel quick and easy and soon a majority of the global population will live in close quarter urban environments. A good example is SARS, which started in China, made its way to Hong Kong, and spread throughout the world rapidly. More recently, though there have not been a large number of reported cases, Avian Influenza has the potential to be a serious threat to public health. If someone with the common Flu were to meet someone with Avian Influenza, there is a very real possibility that the two could mutate into something very virulent and spread rapidly. (Read more about How Real is the Threat of Pandemic?)

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Dr. John Cahill defines Infectious Disease as a specialty of medicine that deals with micro organisms from bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites that infect different organs in a human being. Historically, infectious diseases have had an impact on the whole global population. Outbreaks, epidemics, and plagues have been the leading cause of death for most populations around the world. It has only been in the last 100 or even 50 years where we've seen a significant decline in infectious disease. This is due to modern advances in improving water and sanitation infrastructure. (Read more about The Historical Burden of Infectious Disease)

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