The Emerging Infections Program (EIP) was established in 1995 in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 1994 strategy, Addressing Emerging Infectious Disease Threats: A Prevention Strategy for the United States (PDF 23 pages). An updated plan released by CDC in 1998, Preventing Emerging Infectious Diseases: A Strategy for the 21st Century (PDF 19 pages), described the important role assumed by the EIPs in addressing emerging infections. 

EIP is a network of 10 state health departments (CA, CO, CT, GA, MD, MN, NM, NY, OR, TN) and their collaborators in local health departments, academic institutions, other federal agencies, and public health and clinical laboratories; infection control professionals; and healthcare providers.  The EIP aims to prevent and control infectious diseases by providing the highest quality scientific information to monitor emerging problems, evaluate public health interventions, transfer what is learned to the public health community, and inform policy.

The EIP network aims to be a national resource for surveillance, prevention, and control of emerging infectious diseases. EIP activities go beyond the routine functions of health departments in ways that allow important public health questions to be answered:

• By addressing the most important issues in infectious diseases and selecting projects that the EIP network is particularly suited to investigate
• By maintaining sufficient flexibility for emergency response and addressing new problems as they arise
• By developing, evaluating, and ultimately transferring what is learned to public health agencies
• By incorporating training as a key function of EIP activities
• By giving high priority to projects that lead directly to the prevention of disease

Over the years EIP has made important contributions to a variety of key issues in infectious diseases and public health.  The network has generated more than 510 publications since 1995 with data obtained from core EIP activities, such as Active Bacterial Core Surveillance (ABCs), FoodNet, and Influenza projects, as well as other special studies.  Several key publications can be found here.