Tropical medicine: a re-emerging specialty

Abstract

Tropical medicine is a re-emerging specialty addressing the burgeoning load of tropical disease globally. It is an integral part of military medicine. Vector-borne diseases, in particular malaria and the arboviruses, stand out as major concerns for military deployments, but common problems, such as diarrhoeal disease, also need to be addressed. The Australian Defence Force contributes substantially to tropical disease research and the development of guidelines and policies for delivery of effective countermeasures to infectious diseases associated with deployment of troops. In Australia, we may be seeing rekindled interest in a new vision for tropical medicine, one with a global view and with many facets to the discipline, including tropical medicine, travel medicine, and international public health.