Conclusions and Future Predictions

This concluding chapter explains that as viruses like human immunodeficiency virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome, Zika, and West Nile evolve and emerge, humans are faced with new challenges. Simultaneously, perceptions about new infections and new plagues continue to change. What can and should be done? One must now consider the possible return of smallpox and its use as a weapon of bioterrorism. Meanwhile, even as the march to contain measles and poliomyelitis viruses continues at an impressive pace, bumps and setbacks have been encountered along the way, especially with measles having recurred in 2019 at the time of writing this book. Ultimately, the history of viruses, plagues, and people is an account of the world and the events that shape it. In the end, the splendor of human history is not in wars won, dynasties formed, or financial empires built but in improvement of the human condition. The obliteration of diseases that impinge on people’s health is a regal yardstick of civilization’s success, and those who accomplish that task will be among the true navigators of a brave new world.