The specialty of Infectious Diseases combines: Infectious disease and General medicine, Infectious disease and Medical microbiology, and Infectious disease, Tropical medicine and General medicine.

The challenge to rationalise antibiotic use in the light of increasing microbial resistance, to combat clinical problems of healthcare acquired infection and worldwide pandemics of HIV, hepatitis and malaria and to respond to emerging infection problems such as SARS makes Infectious Diseases a challenging and contemporary specialty. Diseases acquired whilst travelling abroad are an important issue, and increasing in line with the general increase in travel abroad for work or pleasure.