[The goals and structure of the Permanent Working Group of Medical Competence and Treatment Centers for highly contagious, life-threatening diseases].

The introduction of tropical diseases into Germany is becoming a more and more frequent public health problem due to increasing long distance travel and the globalization of economic activities. A network of centers of excellence for imported, highly contagious diseases has proven efficient and shown that the linking of public health service, clinical care, laboratory-based special diagnostics, ambulance service, and hospital hygiene can react quickly and professionally in even unexpected situations in clinical infectiology. These networks joined forces in the "Permanent Working Group of the Medical Competence and Treatment Centers" (Ständigen Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Kompetenz- und Behandlungszentren, StAKoB). Not only in Germany but also worldwide, the StAKoB is a unique system for the treatment of imported highly contagious diseases. The goals and structure of the StAKoB are presented in this article.