By Joanne Silberner

OK, we're addicted, and it's a pretty sick addiction. Literally. We jones for ProMED, a listserv about exotic diseases, far and wide.

Some people like going to see scary movies. Some people like reading murder mysteries. We're fascinated by up-to-the-minute reports about exotic infections, like bluetongue disease and chikungunya fever, that ProMED sends our way.

ProMED covers more common diseases as well. We've been following H1N1's travels around the world through the postings on ProMED, for instance.

In case you were wondering, the service was started in 1994, with support from of the Federation of American Scientists and SatelLife. Since 1999, ProMED-mail has been under the wing of the International Society for Infectious Diseases.

The early warning system draws entries come from alert readers and scientists, and includes comments from infectious disease experts.

In the wake of NPR stations' most recent pledge drive, we're thinking about ProMED because it has just started a fund-raising campaign of its own.

Like any good pledge drive, this one features rewards. Donate $100 to ProMED's 2009 "year End Internet-a-thon" and you get ... yes! ... a mug. Give $50 and get an environmentally friendly (of course!) shopping bag. No umbrellas, though, a surprise because many of the diseases ProMED covers occur in pretty rainy places.

categories: Infectious disease, Information resources, International scene

10:55 - November 4, 2009

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