Infectious diseases have been in the past, and continue to remain, a leading cause of morbidity, disability and mortality in the world. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in late 2002 resulted in many deaths globally. Among the victims, there were health care workers. In the case of a new influenza pandemic, the huge number of patients seeking care will pose a challenge to health services and greatly increase the risk of spread within health care facilities. The development of effective tools and resources to reduce transmission of pandemic influenza virus when providing heath care is an immediate need. That involves using appropriate protection, taking precautions as well as educating health care workers who will be at high risk of illness through exposure in health-care settings.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued, and continuously update, a whole range of materials on the subject, inluding essential measures and recommended actions for infection control in health care settings for responding to potential pandemic influenza.

The International Labour Office (ILO) also offers access to information on infectious diseases along with advises on how controlling them at the workplace. Extracted from the ILO Encyclopaedia - Overview of Infectious Diseases, Prevention of Occupational Transmission of Bloodborne Pathogens and Tuberculosis Prevention, Control and Surveillance - provide general information on infectious diseases in health care settings. SARS - Practical and administrative responses to an infectious disease in the workplace, 2004, provides guidelines in response to SARS.

Another source of information is the ILO CISDOC bibliographique database that gives access to literature in the area of occupational safety and health, comprising resources (references of books and articles from periodical publications) dealing with infectious diseases.