The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 alerted the world to the new face of pandemic disease: highly contagious and fatal infections for which no vaccines are available and current drugs are largely ineffective. As a practitioner providing primary care, the optometrist must be familiar with new and evolving infections present in today's society. Though they may be viewed as extreme events, scenarios such as the re-emergence of SARS, the affliction posed by the H5N1 strain of avian influenza and the threat of a bioterrorist attack have all been described. In the event that such events occur, there is the potential for the spread of some highly virulent, transmissible disease. This paper highlights these public health threats and discusses several areas that the optometrist may want to consider regarding infection control in an era in which a highly transmissible disease is being spread from person to person.