[New infections: myths and reality].

New contemporary data about new infectious diseases of XXI century are presented. Data on morbidity and mortality from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS, atypical pneumonia) and avian influenza are analyzed and compared with World Health Organization data on human influenza. Biologic characteristics of avian influenza virus A/H5N1 are discussed as well as possibility of its human-to-human transmission.

[Doctrine of the transmission of the causative agents of infections and social and ecologic concepts of the epidemic process].

The concept on social and ecologic determination of the epidemic process in its direct connection with L.V. Gromashevsky's doctrine on the transmission mechanism of the causative agents of infection is presented.