The problems of understanding and controlling disease present a range of mathematical challenges, from broad theoretical issues to specific practical ones, making epidemiology one of the most vibrant branches of applied ecology. Progress in this field requires interdisciplinary collaboration; leading researchers with a wide range of mathematical expertise and close involvement in applied fields across the social, medical and biological sciences came together for a NATO Advanced Research Workshop marking the opening of a six-month programme on Epidemic Models at the Newton Institute in Cambridge in 1993. This volume is a result of that collaboration and surveys the state of epidemic modelling at the time in relation to basic aims such as understanding, prediction, and evaluation and implementation of control strategies.