Dear Colleagues,

Today, one of the most important problems of the world is infectious diseases and outbreaks. In the spread of infectious diseases and the emergence of newly identified agents such as changing climatic conditions and environmental pollution, the unequal distribution of resources and increasing population mobility factors appear to be influential. This situation has shown us that health policies can no longer be formed independently of the concepts of the environment, climate and nature and that the focus of health planning cannot only be humans.

The most important component in the prevention of an outbreak is the determination of the causative agent by detecting the first cases in the early period. A multidisciplinary approach in which epidemiology, laboratory and clinical departments will work together is important in epidemic management. If the pathogen is a previously defined agent and a vaccine is already available, it is easier to fight infectious diseases. Vaccination is an effective, safe and cost-effective method of protecting human health and preventing communicable diseases.  Vaccination programs increase the quality of life of patients and decrease the frequency of vaccine-preventable diseases and health care costs, not only protecting vaccinated individuals, but also preventing the transmission of the disease to unvaccinated individuals in the community. However, measures that should be taken for emerging and re-emerging infectious agents today require new diagnostic methods, treatments and prevention measures. With the developing technology, it is possible to determine the origin of the agent and the transmission routes and to perform molecular epidemiological follow-ups.

Prof. Dr. Gulay Korukluoglu
Dr. Bedia Dinç
Prof. Dr. Jean-ralph Zahar
Guest Editors

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• infectious diseases
• public health
• vaccination
• molecular diagnostics
• outbreak response
• epidemiology of communicable diseases