Site tracks health threats


By Susan Coburn / Stamford Advocate

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   Infectious diseases in the United States are on the rise. While extensive use of antibiotics and vaccines has, for all intensive purposes, eradicated such devastating diseases as polio and smallpox, new infectious diseases have emerged to take their place.
   These new and stubborn infectious diseases continue to pose a challenging threat, which is being addressed vigorously by public health and medical care professionals.
   The National Center for Infectious Diseases is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is at the forefront of efforts to stem the rise of infection-related illnesses. The NCID is charged with helping to prevent illness, disability and death caused by infectious diseases in the United States and around the world. The NCID maintains a Web site, www.cdc.gov/ncidod/, for use by health care professionals, researchers and consumers.
   There are probably more types of infectious diseases than most visitors can count. For that reason, the site has helped to organize disease information in several ways.
   Visitors are able to scroll through an alphabetical listing to find the individual diseases for which information is included on the site.
   They are also able to pick a general interest area to read up on the NCID's efforts related to certain topic, such as antibiotic resistance.