New Report Finds Rising Risk of Infectious Diseases in U.S.

--  Emerging diseases, like the potential of a pandemic flu outbreak or another new disease like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

--  Dengue fever sickens 100 to 200 Americans each year, usually brought back by foreign travelers, and is of particular concern along the U.S.-Mexico border

--  More than 90,000 Americans have been infected by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.

--  An estimated 3.2 million Americans have hepatitis C infections, costing the country an estimated $15 billion annually in healthcare costs

--  An estimated 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV/AIDS, and nearly 566,000 Americans have died from AIDS since 1981. Last year total federal spending on HIV/AIDS-related medical care, research, prevention, and other activities was $23.3 billion

--  Remerging diseases, which were thought to be nearly eliminated in the U.S., including measles, mumps, and tuberculosis (TB)

Worldwide, infectious diseases are the leading killer of children and adolescents, and are one of the leading causes of death for adults. According to the National Intelligence Estimate, "newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases ... will complicate U.S. and global security for the next 20 years. These diseases will endanger U.S. citizens at home and abroad, threaten U.S. armed forces deployed overseas, and exacerbate social and political instability in key countries and regions in which the U.S. has significant interests."

The Germs Go Global report examines major vulnerabilities in the current U.S. strategy for combating infectious diseases, including: