Emerging Viral Infections - UK Royal Society Meeting 2004

I've just stumbled upon an excellent account by David Bradley, written some months ago, summarizing presentations given at a scientific conference held in the wake of the SARS epidemic. The presenters discussed the circumstances surrounding the development of new infectious viruses like SARS (think avian flu H5N1).

Bradley's account gives a good overview of how public health folks are "getting their heads around" the new world of antibiotic resistance, rapid world travel, and the need for close international cooperation to identify, isolate and fight emerging diseases before they reach pandemic status.