Final answer:
The statement that by the 1960s, the threat of infectious diseases seemed to have been reduced to a minor nuisance is false. Public health measures such as improved sanitation and use of vaccines did reduce the impact, but infectious diseases still exist and pose ongoing challenges.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that by the 1960s, the threat of infectious diseases seemed to have been reduced to a minor nuisance is fasle
Public health measures such as improved sanitation, the use of antibiotics and vaccines, and better nutrition did lead to a significant decrease in the impact of infectious diseases, but they were not completely eliminated. While diseases like smallpox and polio were effectively eradicated, other diseases such as measles and tuberculosis continued to exist, albeit at reduced levels.
Furthermore, the emergence of new diseases and the re-emergence of old ones pose ongoing challenges to global health. Diseases such as dengue fever, yellow fever, zika, diphtheria, cholera, and bubonic plague have been identified as diseases whose worldwide re-emergence should be monitored. Therefore, infectious diseases remain a concern, although their impact has been significantly reduced.