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Before scientists knew what germs were, many people died from infections simply because no one understood the need to keep wounds clean. Now you can buy over-the-counter antibiotic creams. Antibiotic drugs were completely unknown until World War II. Today doctors use things as simple as health education and as complicated as genetic engineering to fight disease. But while age-old diseases such as ... More

Before scientists knew what germs were, many people died from infections simply because no one understood the need to keep wounds clean. Now you can buy over-the-counter antibiotic creams. Antibiotic drugs were completely unknown until World War II. Today doctors use things as simple as health education and as complicated as genetic engineering to fight disease. But while age-old diseases such as smallpox and polio are under control, newly discovered one, including Ebola and hantavirus, are still deadly and scientists are searching for cures and treatments. Science at the Edge: Germ Killers: Fighting Infectious Disease explains the difference between a viral and a bacterial illness and how the treatments for each different. Scientists are also trying new methods of fighting parasitic diseases, such as malaria. But even seemingly common methods of fighting disease can raise concerns. While vaccines have saved millions of lives from measles, the disease still occurs. Yet some people suspect that the measles vaccine, which is combined with vaccines for other diseases, may cause serious health problems in some children and should not be used.

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