The Emerging Infections Network electronic mail conference and web page

In February 1997, the Emerging Infections Network (EIN) established an electronic mail conference to facilitate discussions about emerging infectious diseases and related topics among its members and public health officials. Later that year, the EIN opened its section of the Infectious Diseases Society of America's home page. The EIN Web page was developed to give its members an alternative route for responding to EIN surveys and to facilitate rapid dispersal of EIN reports. The unrestricted portion of the site allows visitors access to information about the EIN and to published EIN reports on specific topics. For the most part, these are brief summaries or abstracts. In the restricted, password-protected portion of the EIN site, members can access the detailed, original reports from EIN queries and the comprehensive listings of member observations. Search functions in both portions of the EIN site enhance the retrieval of reports and observations on specific topics.