Epidemic Intelligence Service

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Epidemic Intelligence Service is a program of the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Established in 1951 due to biological warfare concerns arising from the Korean War, it has become a hands-on two-year postgraduate training program in epidemiology, with a focus on field work. It is now run through the CDC's Office of Workforce and Career Development. Persons participating in the program, popularly called "disease detectives," are called "EIS Officers" by the CDC and have been dispatched to investigate possible epidemics, due to both natural and artificial causes, including anthrax, hantavirus, and West Nile virus in the United States and Ebola in Uganda and Zaire.

Since the smallpox crusade beginning in 1967, CDC has paired an EIS officer and a Public Health Advisor or "PHA" as a scientist (EIS) and operations (PHA) team. These EIS/PHA management teams have made major contribution to the management and leadership of CDC, with several former EIS officers serving in leadership capacity and closely supported by their deputy manager, the PHA. Together EIS officers and PHAs have worked on several epidemics worldwide.

[edit] References

Thacker, S B; Dannenberg A L, Hamilton D H (December 2001). "Epidemic intelligence service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 50 years of training and service in applied epidemiology". Am. J. Epidemiol. 154 (11): 985–92. doi:10.1093/aje/154.11.985. PMID 11724713.
Ostroff, S M (March 2001). "The Epidemic Intelligence Service in the United States". Euro Surveill. 6 (3): 34–6. PMID 11682711.
Schaffner, W; LaForce F M (October 1996). "Training field epidemiologists: Alexander D. Langmuir and the epidemic intelligence service". Am. J. Epidemiol. 144 (8 Suppl): S16–22. PMID 8857837.
Thacker, S B; Goodman R A, Dicker R C (1990). "Training and service in public health practice, 1951-90--CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service". Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 105 (6): 599–604. PMID 2175439.
Meyerson, B.E.; Martich F.A., Naehr G.P. (2008). Ready to Go: The History and Contributions of U.S. Public Health Advisors. Research Triangle Park: American Social Health Association.
Langmuir, A D (1980). "The Epidemic Intelligence Service of the Center for Disease Control". Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 95 (5): 470–7. PMID 6106957.
LANGMUIR, A D; ANDREWS J M (March 1952). "Biological warfare defense. 2. The Epidemic Intelligence Service of the Communicable Disease Center". American journal of public health and the nation's health 42 (3): 235–8. doi:10.2105/AJPH.42.3.235. PMID 14903237.

[edit] See also

Alexander Langmuir, creator.
Beth E. Meyerson, Fred A. Martich and Gerald P. Naehr (2008) [[Ready to Go: The History and Contributions of U.S. Public Health Advisors.]] (Research Triangle Park: American Social Health Association)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention