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I appreciate your interest in emerging infectious diseases and your registration for this course. It is important to realize that we have not won the battle against infectious diseases, not by a long shot. Antibiotics, interferon, an ever-increasing array of vaccines, traditional and most progressive, such as DNA vaccines, just don't suffice. The relation between animals and humans and the large number of evolving infectious agents may be likened to a long-standing political feud between nations: it probably cannot be won by either side, but possibly can be managed to the advantage of one. In this instance we hope the advantage might be on our side, whether we consider ourselves, or our animals, as one of the feuding parties.

In this ongoing battle, or management, if you like, the human race in one sense is nothing more than just one of the host species. In another sense, it is much more than that. No other host species could and did influence the generation of the emerging picture of infectious diseases as have humans. Our interactions with nature, new agricultural, biological, social practices, new modes of transformation and numerous other human activities are major factors in that, in spite of the enormous advances in science, infectious diseases are on the attack, sometimes quite successfully. Our successes on the other hand, such as elimination of small pox, and the impending elimination of polio, are few and far between. We have to be on our toes, aware of what has happened, what is happening and what might happen.

This course is an attempt to maintain and spread that awareness. It is the first entirely on-line course delivered by the VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, with 16 faculty, veterinary students, graduate students and distance and distributed learning professionals in VA and MD, collaborating. None of the participants knew anything about distance and distributed learning, save the IDDL expert. I am certain, that though we put in a solid effort, we probably could have done better. Your contribution in improving the course for future iterations is vitally important and necessary. Tell us what you think of the course, during and definitely at the end.

I wish you the very best and hope that the course was useful in maintaining your awareness of emerging infectious diseases.

Dr. Thomas E. Toth