“…And to be the first to use statistical process control charts for MRSA and C. difficile (I believe in the world) was something special (Curran et al, 2002). I am delighted with the Outbreak Columns in general and in particular the latest one, Outbreak Column number 18, on the undervalued work of outbreak: prevention, preparedness, detection and management (Curran and Dalziel, 2015). I was honoured to have been invited to deliver the Cottrell Lecture at last year’s Infection Prevention Society (IPS) Conference.…”