[Infectious Diseases Surveillance Information System.]

In the Netherlands an electronic network has been proposed for structured data transfer and communication concerning the control of infectious diseases. This project has been baptized ISIS (Infectious diseases Surveillance Information System). It is an initiative of the Dutch Government. ISIS will be developed, implemented and exploited by the Department of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology (CIE) of the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection (RIVM). Objectives for ISIS: 1) To provide the quantitative basis for making decisions about priorities in the control of infectious diseases, i.e. to allow the government to make rational choices about the necessity of developing and implementing control programs, epidemiologic surveys and diagnostic studies. 2). It should be fast and accurate to allow early warning for an outbreak and to facilitate the actual control of an epidemic in the sence that intervention can be focused on the right place and the right subgroup. 3). To facilitate the management of an outbreak in that it provides an efficient infrastructure for communication between participants. At the same time it should monitor the control activities allowing the evaluation of an intervention afterwards. ISIS will replace and extend the current system for the registration of notifiable diseases. The transfer of selected positive and negative findings from a laboratory information computer system will be completely automated. In the end ISIS will encompass all Municipal Health Services (GGD), most Medical Microbiological Laboratories, hospitals, food inspection departments and veterinary information systems. The use of current standards for data-communication allows nationwide and international collaboration and data-exchange.DGVGZ/PA