Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, is dedicated to promoting "health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability." Of special interest to the consumer are the resources about diseases, conditions, and other special topics arranged under "Health Topics A-Z," and "Travelers' Health," with health recommendations for travelers worldwide. There are also sections on health topics in the news and health hoaxes. Information is also available in Spanish. www.cdc.gov

Healthfinder

Healthfinder is a gateway consumer health information site whose goal is " to improve consumer access to selected health information from government agencies, their many partner organizations, and other reliable sources that serve the public interest." Menu lists on its home page provide links to online journals, medical dictionaries, minority health, and prevention and self-care. The developer and sponsor of this site is the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Department of Health and Human Services, with other agencies that also can be linked to via the site. Access to resources on the site is also available in Spanish. www.healthfinder.gov

Health Web

Health Web is a site established by librarians and information professionals from major academic medical institutions in the Midwest. Consumers can search the site either by entering search terms or by selecting one of the many alphabetically listed medical subjects. When a medical subject is selected, users can go into more depth by using the left side of the screen to select narrower subjects or categories. The site also provides "User Guides" developed to help consumers use Internet resources more effectively. www.healthweb.org

HIV InSite

HIV InSite is a project of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) AIDS Research Institute. Designed as a gateway to in-depth information about particular aspects of HIV/AIDS, it provides numerous links to many sources. Subjects are arranged into "Key Topics" and the site may also be searched by key words. Many items are provided in full text, and information is available in English and Spanish. http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu

Mayo Clinic

MayoClinic is an extension of the Mayo Clinic's commitment to provide health education to patients and the general public. Editors of the site include more than 2,000 physicians, scientists, writers, and educators at the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit institution with more than 200 years of history in patient care, medical research, and education. A new format, which recently debuted, has added interactive tools to assist consumers in managing their health. This site supersedes the previous site, Mayo Clinic Health Oasis. www.mayoclinic.com

Medem

Medem, a new site launched in the fall of 2000, is a project of the leading medical societies in the United States. Some of the founding societies include the America Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians, and Gynecologists. The site was developed to provide "a trusted online source for credible, comprehensive, and clinical healthcare information, and secure, confidential communications." The "Medical Library" is divided into four major categories: Life Stages, Diseases and Conditions, Therapies and Health Strategies, and Health and Society. www.medem.com

MEDLINEplus

MEDLINEplus is a consumer-oriented Web site established by the National Library of Medicine, the world's largest biomedical library and creator of the MEDLINE database. An alphabetical list of "Health Topics" consists of more than 300 specific diseases, conditions, and wellness issues. Each Health Topic page contains links to authoritative information on that subject, as well as an optional link to a preformulated MEDLINE search that provides journal article citations on the subject. Additional resources include physician and hospital directories, several online medical dictionaries, and consumer drug information available by generic or brand name. www.medlineplus.gov

National Women's Health Information Center

National Women's Health Information Center is a gateway to selected women's health information resources. Its purpose is to provide a single site on the Web where women can locate reliable, timely resources about "prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the illnesses and health conditions that affect them." It is sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service's Office on Women's Health and provides access to a variety of women's federal and private-sector resources. An alphabetical "Health Topics" menu simplifies searching. Information is available in both England and Spanish. www.4women.gov

NOAH: New York Online Access to Health

NOAH: New York Online Access to Health is a unique collection of state, local, and federal health resources for consumers. NOAH's mission is "to provide high-quality full-text information for consumers that is accurate, timely, relevant, and unbiased." Information is arranged in alphabetical "Health Topics" which are then narrowed to include definitions, care and treatment, and lists of information resources. Information is available in both English and Spanish, and the majority of items are provided in full text. www.noah-health.org

Oncolink: A University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center Resource

Oncolink: A University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center Resource provides information on the various forms of cancer and issues of interest to cancer patients and their families. The site may be searched by key words or by menus, including disease-oriented menus and medical specialty-oriented menus. Major areas covered are cancer causes, symptom management, clinical trials, psychosocial support, cancer FAQs (frequently asked questions), and global resources for cancer information. http://oncolink.upenn.edu

ADDITIONAL SITES:

WebMD: A generic site listing resources and article on hundreds of medical topics.  www.webmd.com