Infectious disease predictions for 2015 — Are we making progress?

At the start of the year, Dr John Bartlett made nine predictions for the field of infectious diseases in 2015, ranging from Ebola to epidemics. Although we are only at the halfway point, many new developments have proved some of these predictions to be well founded and others a little premature, while some important developments were missed altogether. Here, Dr Bartlett reports on the progress, or lack of progress, of his predictions, providing a succinct review of major and minor advances in the field of infectious diseases so far this year. Ebola Prediction: Sustained transmission of Ebola in the United States is unlikely. Ebola was considered the most important medical story of 2014. The epidemic was concentrated in West Africa but there was substantial concern about the sparse number of cases in Europe and the 11 cases in the United States, including two endemically transmitted cases. This prompted the appropriation of $6 billion...