Disease and Pest Outbreaks

Until recent times, the periodic irruptions of infectious diseases have been significant factors in the lives of humans and in the history of civilized society. Today many of the serious infectious diseases of humankind have been controlled. However, the increased control of human infectious disease has not lessened the importance of studying and understanding infectious diseases, because agricultural crops as well as forest resources are continually damaged by outbreaks of pests and disease. Strategies for their elimination or control are urgently needed.