In the past, the top three causes of death in the United States in the early 1900's was influenza, tuberculosis, and diarrhea. With the advent of antibiotics, vaccinations, and adequate sanitation, the spread of these diseases was quickly halted. Yet, infectious disease continues to flourish in the U.S. There are many explanations to why this phenomenon is happening. One possible reason stems from the complacency of many Americans regarding infectious disease. Some individuals are not receiving proper immunizations and a few parents are not properly vaccinating their children (the national average of underimmunized children in the U.S. is around 30 %). Other Americans are misusing antibiotics or demanding antibiotics to treat viral infections, which can breed antimicrobial-resistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Another example is the participation in risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex and intravenous drug use, which can transmit HIV, hepatitis, gonorrhea, syphillis, and others. Furthermore, when considering the number of emerging infectious disease in the United States, such as Lyme disease, Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Hanta virus, and West Nile virus, one must consider the possible of unknown disease wreacking havoc on the population.
Finally, one must realize that the U.S. is not isolated from the outside world. We live in a global community, which is possible through air travel, and the next infectious agent could be a flight away. Often, as Americans we forget that infectious disease is still rampant in developing countries. For instance, Ebola hemmorhagic fever, SARS, cholera, malaria, can still threaten the world populations. Also, we continue to damage the environment through deforestation and build communities closer to animal and insect populations.