[Emerging Infectious Diseases * Volume 3 * Number 2 * April-June 1997]

1st International Conference on Emerging Zoonoses

Electronic Media and Emerging Zoonoses

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As indicated by the term "emerging," the principal challenge in following
emerging diseases is their extremely dynamic epidemiology. Changes in these
diseases or the pathogens causing them cannot be followed through standard
texts and journals. The traditional mode of reporting an outbreak in a
peer-reviewed journal several months after it occurred or in a textbook one
or more years later is not appropriate. Weekly publications of the World
Health Organization and reports from national ministries of health are more
reliable but are still limited by delays in data acquisition, processing,
editing, and production. To avoid such delays, some weekly publications are
now being distributed electronically.

In response to the need for quick dissemination of information, several
electronic sites specifically tailored to information in the fields of
infectious diseases, emerging diseases, and zoonoses have become available.
Some have subspecialized to a single disease, animal, vector, or pathogen.
Most combine zoonotic and non-zoonotic diseases (e.g., mosquito-transmitted
diseases) or emerging and nonemerging diseases. Even though they provide
quality control, better sites urge users to verify the source of individual
reports. Moreover, as the number of electronic sites has grown, data have
become more and more diffuse, and users are unable to access and collate
materials that appear over time.

Computer programs can facilitate data access by storing and indexing
reports according to country, pathogen, vector, and animal reservoir. The
University of Tel Aviv has developed a computer software program for
information, diagnosis, and disease simulation that incorporates the status
of infectious diseases (zoonotic and others) in all countries. This program
includes information published in print and electronically. The program can
generate a ranked differential diagnosis for rash and fever following a
tick bite in Uganda or present the biology, bacteriology, epidemiology,
therapy, clinical features, historical background, and current status of
tularemia in Norway. The program--Global Infectious
Diseases and Epidemiology Network (GIDEON, CY Informatics, Ltd, Ramat
Hasharon, Israel)--also contains modules for the identification and
characterization of pathogens and the pharmacology and usage of
antiinfective drugs and vaccines. The program incorporates 319 infectious
diseases; however, even though the GIDEON program is updated through
quarterly diskettes, its information is not adequate during disease
outbreaks. In this case, therefore, electronic communication is
complementing, rather than replacing, traditional communication media.

Various communication media have advantages and deficiencies. Data
presented in a textbook, on the Internet, or in a software program may have
unlimited scope. In contrast, data presented in journals and government
reports are generally narrow, focused, and targeted to a specific
readership. Major journals and texts benefit from peer review and
documentation of sources. The availability of electronic media and software
is limited by access to hardware, user training and sophistication, and in
some situations, adequate electricity and telephone services.

Even though electronic communication has become an inevitable and
irreplaceable adjunct to the field of emerging diseases, many problems
remain in the areas of data access, credibility, standardization, and ease
of use.

Stephen A. Berger
Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel; and the Sackler Faculty of
Medicine, University of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Emerging Infectious Diseases
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, GA

URL: ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/EID/vol3no2/ascii/berger.txt
Updated: 97/05/14