Martin McKee

Rifat Atun

Richard Coker

"This is an excellent book, well-writtenand well-documented. The editors havesucceeded to bring together a largenumber of knowledgeable authors tocover comprehensively the vast area ... public health actors dealingwith infectious diseases bothat central and local level, whether inresearch, teaching or practice as well asprofessionals working in diagnostic andtherapeutic health services, notably inmicrobiology and infectious diseasescould greatly benefit from reading thebook. Politicians and lay administratorswith responsibility in the field would bewell advised to do the same." European Journal of Public Health Health systems everywhere face constant change as they seek to respond to evolving patterns of disease. This is especially true with communicable diseases where humanity is engaged in a constant evolutionary struggle with micro-organisms that are able to adapt rapidly to a changing world. This problem can be, for example, exemplified recently by the growth of antibiotic resistant infection. This fascinating book confronts this challenge, looking at two regions where the pace of change is especially rapid, Europe and Latin America - places where health systems, many themselves undergoing rapid organisational transition, must find ways of adapting to an ever changing context. The book begins with an historical overview, recalling how humans and micro-organisms have always competed, at times with profound historical consequences, before examining the current status of this evolutionary struggle. It assesses the extent to which human societies and their governments are prepared for the challenges ahead and reviews the experiences of countries in Europe and Latin America in developing effective responses. Health Systems and the Challenge of Communicable Diseases will be of interest to those engaged in the development of health policy in high and middle income countries, and to those who are studying the creation and implementation of health policy.

Richard Coker

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