Field of medicine: Public health and infectious diseases.

Format: Softcover book.

Audience: Public health professionals involved in the control of communicable diseases, clinical practitioners, government officials, school authorities, and students.

Purpose: To provide a concise and readily available source of current information on the control of communicable diseases.

Content: This veritable encyclopedia of infectious diseases provides valuable information on communicable disease control practices. The author edited five previous versions of this classic manual, which covers 136 topics from AIDS to zygomycosis. The only illustrations are an occasional chart of recommended immunizations. The Table of contents and the index facilitate use of the book as a pocket reference.

Highlights: With this edition, the manual's title has been changed from Control of Communicable Diseases in Man, a change that removes the emphasis on "man" and provides greater emphasis on resistant organisms and emerging pathogens. The addition of coverage on rare and exotic conditions that threaten to become more prevalent is a direct result of increasing international travel.

Limitations: Although its information on treatment of cases is far less complete than its information on community prevention strategies and methods, this outstanding and ever-improving work is still a must for public health and clinical practitioners.

Context: Few books are as useful as this venerable classic, which brings together the information and methods necessary to control communicable diseases. Every 5 years, this manual is updated, expanded, peer-reviewed, and republished. It is also available on CD-ROM.

Reviewer: Bernard J. Turnock, MD, MPH, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, Illinois.