In recent years we have seen a dramatic and serious increase in infectious diseases. In addition to emerging diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, SARS, Lyme disease, Hantavirus, Ebola, we have diseases once cured that have become resistant to our treatments, such as tuberculosis and streptococcus. We have increasingly harmful foodborne contagions, such as E. coli and sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia in epidemic proportions worldwide. In the wings, we have diseases such as Avian flu, on the brink of causing a threat to global health even as we seek methods of control and risk reduction. As WHO Director-General Nakajima says of infectious disease, No country is safe from them. As public health education grows, so, too will the need for methodologic skills in infectious disease epidemiology. Without these crucial skills, there will be insufficient resources to improve the health of the public, both domestically and globally. Essentials of Infectious Disease Epidemiology is one of the few texts devoted specifically to the methods required to study infectious disease making the perfect introduction to the field for undergraduate and introductory masters-level public health students. It will provide students with the requisite skills to conduct, evaluate, and understand the field of infectious disease epidemiology.