Imagining Sisyphus Happy—Redux

The cover of the May 2013 edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases offered an appropriate analogy to reflect on the advances in infectious disease medicine over the last 30 years and to put in perspective those accomplishments against current and future challenges. The artwork portrayed Titian’s masterpiece of Sisyphus toiling with the never-ending burden of pushing the stone up the hill as punishment for cheating death. Polyxeni Potter provided an accompanying editorial comparing Sisyphus’ endless journey to public health efforts to understand and battle against emerging and reemerging infectious diseases.