Presently, chronic non-communicable diseases are the main cause of the global burden of diseases and mortality. In AAEM, many researchers undertake these problems. However, at the age of mass migration of the world population, associated primarily with the easiness of translocation over long distances, and the character of work in certain segments of the economy, communicable diseases still constitute a threat. No wonder that many reports in this journal are concerned with the problems related with communicable diseases. In my opinion, the problem is how to control these diseases in the global sense. At present, the majority of institutions dealing with the control of diseases which are of a national, international or global character, do not cope with the control of communicable diseases from this aspect. An example is the last pandemic of the AH1N1 influenza virus. I would call it a ‘panic’ rather than a pandemic: a global panic triggered disproportionate to the actual threat in many countries, which resulted in actions that were exaggerated according to the standards followed in public health in the face of global public hazards. An example was the closing of frontiers in some countries during the pandemic of influenza, without a cool assessment of the actual risk. Another example was the purchase of vaccines, which had to be disposed of. Why had the possibilities of performing vaccinations against this flu not been assessed? Why had the education of the societies concerning the benefits brought about by performing prophylactic vaccinations not been carried out? These actions, if undertaken regularly, would increase the willingness of citizens worldwide to be vaccinated. Prophylactic vaccinations are the most effective method for controlling communicable diseases. Their use has enabled the elimination of many diseases within recent decades.