Report
Note: Workshop Summaries contain the opinion of the presenters, but do NOT reflect the conclusions of the IOM. Learn more about the differences between Workshop Summaries and Consensus Reports.
In the mid-1970s, the U.S. Surgeon General claimed that infectious diseases had been conquered through the development and use of antibiotics and vaccines and that therefore it was time to shift the U.S. government's attention and resources to the "War on Cancer". The ensuing years have brought us Legionnaire's disease, toxic shock syndrome, an awareness of Lyme disease, outbreaks of hantavirus throughout the southwestern United States, SARS, and of course, HIV. The discovery that infection with Helicobacter pylori is associated with peptic ulcer and gastric cancer has led to an increasing search for the infectious nature of other "noninfectious" diseases such as atherosclerosis.
Infectious diseases remain the leading causes of death and morbidity on our planet. For these reasons, the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats hosted the public workshop on "Ending the War Metaphor: The Future Agenda for Unraveling the Host-Microbe Relationship" which aimed to inform the Forum, the public, and policymakers of the dynamic host-microbe-environment relationships and to explore the issues that must be resolved to better prepare and protect the global community from infectious disease threats.
This report is a summary of that workshop.
Other Reports by this Activity
Displaying: 3 of 22 Reports
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Global Issues in Water, Sanitation, and Health. Workshop Summary
Worldwide, over one billion people lack access to an adequate water supply. Recognizing water availability, water quality, and sanitation as fundamental issues underlying infectious disease emergence, the IOM’s Forum on Microbial Threats held a two-day public workshop.
Released: September 25, 2009
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Microbial Evolution and Co-Adaptation. A Tribute to the Life and Scientific Legacies of Joshua Lederberg. Workshop Summary
Dr. Joshua Lederberg – scientist, Nobel laureate, visionary thinker, and friend of the Forum on Microbial Threats – died on February 2, 2008. It was in his honor that the Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Microbial Threats convened a public workshop on May 20-21, 2008, to examine Dr. Lederberg’s scientific and policy contributions to the marketplace of ideas in the life sciences, medicine, and public policy. The resulting workshop summary, Microbial Evolution and Co-Adaptation, demonstrates the extent to which conceptual and technological developments have, within a few short years, advanced our collective understanding of the microbiome, microbial genetics, microbial communities, and microbe-host-environment interactions.
Released: March 27, 2009
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