Global epidemiology and public health in the 21st century. Applications of new technology.

Epidemiology and public health need to change for the upcoming problems of the 21st century and beyond. We outline a four-point approach to produce this change. The first one is to take a systems approach to disease. The second approach discussed is the use of new techniques to "count" disease using capture-recapture. The third represents the application of telecommunications, especially the Internet, to public health. The fourth and final component represents the application, at the local health department level, of a total quality approach, as espoused by Deming, for the prevention of disease.