Spreading the Word: The Prevention of Emerging Pandemics‪.‬

ON DECEMBER 14, 1994, A US GOVernment interagency working group was established under the jurisdiction of the Committee of International Science, Engineering, and Technology Policy (CISET), under the auspices of of President Clinton's National Science and Technology Council. This working group consists of members from 17 different government agencies and departments, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Department of Defense, and the Department of State. The group was assembled to assess the global threat of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. Included in the group's recent report was a map detailing the current outbreaks of infectious diseases worldwide. Only one continent remains unaffected by outbreaks of deadly infectious diseases, and Antarctica offers precious little refuge for the world's populations against the rising threat of widespread epidemics.