Key systems and public health infrastructure operating normally

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today that the agency and its key partners have successfully transitioned into the Year 2000. As of today, CDC's and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) 230 information systems, information technology infrastructure, and buildings and facilities are operating normally and providing the support for disease prevention and fostering a safe and healthful environment.

Key systems operated by CDC to conduct time-sensitive public health surveillance and detect outbreaks of infectious diseases also transitioned the millennium without incident. This includes the Public Health Laboratory Information System that links public health laboratories in States and territories with CDC and the PulseNet system which links CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the States and the U.S. Department of Agriculture laboratories to enable rapid comparisons of DNA-based analyses for certain food borne illnesses.

"One of CDC's primary public health roles is to monitor the Nation's health and serve as a sentinel for disease problems. This and other CDC essential functions are very date and data dependent," said Jim Seligman, Associate Director for Program Services and Chief Information Officer, CDC. "We have worked hard to ensure this successful transition within our agency and also with our key partners to prevent any disruptions. The integrity, quality, and reliability of CDC's science is critical to the agency's public health programs and the confidence and trust placed in the agency by others."

CDC provides support to state and local health departments, foreign health ministries, and other public health and healthcare professionals through the provision of various public health services. These include the provision of national health data and vital statistics, disease and other health-related data for research, public health guidelines and recommendations, vaccines for childhood immunizations, public health training, reference laboratory diagnostic testing, special drugs and reagents, and various other services.

To date, 37 states representing more than 83 percent of the U.S. population and one territory health agency have reported a successful Y2K rollover for all essential public health services and systems. CDC anticipates that the remainder of the states and territories will complete Y2K compliance checks on their systems and report their findings to CDC in the near future.

To meet the Y2K challenge, CDC and ATSDR have been working diligently to ensure all information systems, external data exchanges, laboratory equipment, buildings and facilities, telecommunications networks, information technology infrastructure, and commercial software was Y2K compliant and ready for the millennium transition. CDC began its Y2K program in 1995 and developed a multi-faceted action plan to address Y2K risks. This included intensive end-to-end testing of mission critical systems in a simulated Year 2000 environment.