The microbial agents that cause infectiuos diseases are dynamic, changeable and resilient; and they are responsible for over 14 million deaths each year, mainly in developing countries, and also cause permanent disability. Not only do emerging and re-emerging infections cause human suffering and death, often placing health workers at great risk, but they cause negative economic impact as well.  Access to the vaccines, drugs and other goods needed to control communicable diseases is a constant problem for many in developing countries, but today there are new partnership mechanisms being set up to provide better access. From the Series:Global Infectious Disease