Singapore is a young nation at the crossroads of Asia and consistently faces the threat of infectious diseases. The infectious disease threats have changed with the times-it began with malaria, cholera and plague during the earliest days of the Straits Settlements; to vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio and smallpox; and now modern scourges including HIV, SARS, pandemic influenza, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Singapore has accomplished much to control and overcome the threat of infectious diseases. The collected stories and records in this volume provides and account of how Singapore's heathcare system has contributed to global and regional health and how hard-won is the protection from infectious diseases that we take for granted today.