• detect new or unusual clinical events;

• identify cases during outbreak investigations;

• gather information about clinical aspects of emerging infectious diseases;

• help connect members to the CDC and other public health investigators;

• develop new methods for gathering epidemiological and clinical information.

The overarching goal of the EIN is to assist with surveillance for emerging infectious diseases and related phenomena by collecting relevant clinically oriented observations to complement other surveillance systems. The two major EIN-related activities revolve around an actively moderated listserv and the distribution of regular queries or 2 quick queries of EIN members. Query topics can be suggested by EIN members and CDC investigators suggest query topics. Before queries are distributed, they require approval from EIN staff, the EIN Executive Committee, and CDC program officers.

Regular queries are broadly focused on emerging infections or related phenomena and typically revolve around topics on diagnosis, treatment, quality, safety or about health policy. Regular queries are sent to eligible members 4–5 times per year by email. They typically include up to 10–12 questions and are distributed via email directly to EIN members with a clinical practice. Two reminders are sent to nonresponding members approximately one week apart. The known denominator of recipients allows regular queries to include member database information including practice location and characteristics and physician years of practice; data are aggregated and reported in such way that no patients, providers, or practice sites are identified.

Quick queries are very short polls (4–5 questions per topic) specifically designed to take a “pulse” and rapidly aggregate member experiences, opinions, or approaches regarding an emerging infectious disease or related phenomena. They can also be used for initial case finding to build future case series. Quick queries are distributed via the EIN listserv. Thus, unlike regular queries which are sent directly to individual members, there is no stable denominator. Therefore, no specific practice or location data are available unless such information is requested in a quick query question. These queries are designed to collect very preliminary data from clinical infectious diseases practitioners that is otherwise difficult to do using alternative approaches.

Letters from the Emerging Infections Network are short form articles that broadly focus on emerging infections or related phenomena and typically revolve around topics on diagnosis, treatment, quality, safety or about health policy.

Note that only members of the Emerging Infections Network, described previously, may submit articles in this category.

The following submission requirements, which are found in EID’s Author Instructions and Quick Guide to Article Information apply to these articles.

• Text maximum of 800 words

• Unstructured 50-word abstract

• Maximum of 2 figures or tables, total, e.g., 1 figure and 1 table; 2 figures and no tables; 2 tables and no figures

• Maximum of 10 references• Include the EID Author Checklist with each submission.

For questions or more information, contact EID at eideditor@cdc.gov.