Hardly a day goes by without news headlines concerning infectious disease threats. Currently the spectre of a pandemic of influenza A-H1N1 is raising its head, and heated debates are taking place about the pro s and con s of vaccinating young girls against human papilloma virus. For an evidence-based and responsible communication of infectious disease topics to avoid misunderstandings and overreaction of the public, we need solid scientific knowledge and an understanding of all aspects of infectious diseases and their control.

The aim of our book is to present the reader with the general picture and the main ideas of the subject. The book introduces the reader to methodological aspects of epidemiology that are specific for infectious diseases and provides insight into the epidemiology of some classes of infectious diseases characterized by their main modes of transmission. This choice of topics bridges the gap between scientific research on the clinical, biological, mathematical, social and economic aspects of infectious diseases and their applications in public health.

The book will help the reader to understand the impact of infectious diseases on modern society and the instruments that policy makers have at their disposal to deal with these challenges. It is written for students of the health sciences, both of curative medicine and public health, and for experts that are active in these and related domains, and it may be of interest for the educated layman since the technical level is kept relatively low."

Hardly a day goes by without news headlines concerning infectious disease threats. Currently the spectre of a pandemic of influenza A-H1N1 is raising its head, and heated debates are taking place about the pro s and con s of vaccinating young girls against human papilloma virus. For an evidence-based and responsible communication of infectious disease topics to avoid misunderstandings and overreaction of the public, we need solid scientific knowledge and an understanding of all aspects of infectious diseases and their control.

The aim of our book is to present the reader with the general picture and the main ideas of the subject. The book introduces the reader to methodological aspects of epidemiology that are specific for infectious diseases and provides insight into the epidemiology of some classes of infectious diseases characterized by their main modes of transmission. This choice of topics bridges the gap between scientific research on the clinical, biological, mathematical, social and economic aspects of infectious diseases and their applications in public health.

The book will help the reader to understand the impact of infectious diseases on modern society and the instruments that policy makers have at their disposal to deal with these challenges. It is written for students of the health sciences, both of curative medicine and public health, and for experts that are active in these and related domains, and it may be of interest for the educated layman since the technical level is kept relatively low."

Diverse driving forces, processes and actors are responsible for different trends in the development of megacities and large urban areas. Under the dynamics of global change, megacities are themselves changing: On the one hand they are prone to increasing socio-economic vulnerability due to pronounced poverty, socio-spatial and political fragmentation, sometimes with extreme forms of segregation, disparities and conflicts. On the other hand megacities offer positive potential for global transformation, e.g. minimisation of space consumption, highly effective use of resources, efficient disaster prevention and health care options -- if good strategies were developed. At present in many megacities and urban areas of the developing world and the emerging economies the quality of life is eroding. Most of the megacities have grown to unprecedented size, and the pace of urbanisation has far exceeded the growth of the necessary infrastructure and services. As a result, an increasing number of urban dwellers are left without access to basic amenities like clean drinking water, fresh air and safe food. Additionally, social inequalities lead to subsequent and significant intra-urban health inequalities and unbalanced disease burdens that can trigger conflict and violence between subpopulations. The guiding idea of our book lies in a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to the complex topic of megacities and urban health that can only be adequately understood when different disciplines share their knowledge and methodological tools to work together. We hope that the book will allow readers to deepen their understanding of the complex dynamics of urban and megacity populations through the lens of public health, geographical and other research perspectives.

Der Klimawandel und die daraus resultierenden Auswirkungen auf Gesundheit, Umwelt und Gesellschaft werden in den nachsten Jahren sowohl lokal wie auch global wichtige Fragen sein, auf die Antworten gefunden werden mussen. Das Buch fuhrt anhand der wesentlichen Aspekte der direkten und indirekten klimawandelbedingten Gesundheitsfolgen in das Thema "Klimawandel und Gesundheit" ein. Dabei wird herausgearbeitet, dass klimabedingten Gesundheitsfolgen nur wissenschaftlich-interdisziplinar sowie uber administrative und hierarchische Ebenen und uber geografische und politische Grenzen hinaus effektiv entgegengewirkt werden kann. Im Hinblick auf die Herausforderungen, die hierzulande zu bewaltigen sind und sein werden, helfen die zusammengetragenen Fakten, die OEffentlichkeit und Politik fur dieses Thema weiter zu sensibilisieren. Zudem finden Fachleuten und Experten in oeffentlichen Verwaltungen (z. B. in der Stadtplanung oder im oeffentlichen Gesundheitsdienst) viele Fallbeispiele, die als Anregung fur deren Arbeit fur eine gesunde Umwelt dienen. Studierende wie Wissenschaftler der Gesundheitswissenschaften und angrenzender Disziplinen wie Geografie, Klimatologie, Stadtplanung und Architektur, OEkonomie und Sozialwissenschaften werden eine reiche Quelle an Informationen finden, um sie fur die Forschung in diesem Bereich zu begeistern.