Bioterrorism web site resources for infectious disease clinicians and epidemiologists.

Abstract

Finding bioterrorism-related information on the World Wide Web can be laborious. We hope to help readers find such information more easily by summarizing essential information in a consistent framework. A panel of 7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewers identified Web sites and evaluated them for sponsorship, mission, content usefulness, online ease of use, and adherence to commonly accepted quality criteria. Of >100 potential sites identified, 81 were chosen for target content of interest, and 43 were selected for inclusion. The results were classified into general purpose/portal sites; biological agent information; laboratory, infection control, epidemiology, and mental health information; and emergency contact sources, news and updates, event preparedness resources, information for first-responder settings, clinical and public education materials, and research resources. Agents covered included anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fever.