Infectious disease outbreaks are not a new phenomenon and remain a major public health concern. Since the turn of the 21st century, we have dealt with several infectious disease epidemics, including the 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic, and most recently the emergence of Zika virus in the Americas. We will discuss the representation of these outbreaks in popular culture, explain the social and scientific challenges associated with controlling these types of outbreaks, and describe new research on the control of vector-borne pathogens.