The doctors are back in charge. Here’s why.
Not so long ago, we believed the era of infectious diseases was over. After a brutal reality check, a medical doctor now runs the federal health department, and a national centre for disease control is being considered.
Professor Brendan Murphy, then chief medical officer, rear, and Health Minister Greg Hunt in the early days of the pandemic. Alex Ellinghausen
Making public health predictions is a risky business. Fifty years ago, public health officials around the world, including in Australia, declared the era of infectious diseases was over.
Why? Because there was an abundance of antibiotics and of vaccine programs and it looked like communicable diseases would become a thing of the past.
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