Hepatitis menace

Over the last decade, there have been outbreaks of hepatitis A in gay and bisexual men, and also in deprived communities. Hepatitis B is an increasing problem amongst injecting drug-users Numbers of new diagnoses of hepatitis C continue to increase

Over the last 20 years a series of completely new infections have begun to pose a problem. These include HIV, E.coli O157 and hepatitis C.

The rate of sexually transmitted disease has soared in recent years.

And new problems are being posed by antibiotic-resistant infections that are picked up in hospitals.

In 1991, just 2% of bloodstream infections with Staphylococcus aureus were caused by methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA). By 2000, this figure had risen to over 40%

However, there have been notable success stories. The new vaccine against group C meningococcal disease has had a huge impact on levels of the infection.

Complacency warning

Dr Angus Nicoll, director of the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre which prepared the report, said, "History shows that we ignore the threat posed by infectious disease at our peril - there is never any cause for complacency."

One of the key themes highlighted in the report is that infections affect different social groups disproportionately.

Dr Nicoll said: "It is vital that we develop prevention strategies for those who are most at risk.

"For a number of important diseases we must ensure that the very young, teenagers, the old, minority ethnic groups and less affluent groups in society have ready access to good medical services.

"We cannot always make inequalities go away, but we can make sure that medical services are responsive to the needs of different groups."

The Chief Medical Officer is due to publish a new Communicable Disease Strategy.