A History of Success: Investigating and Responding to Public Health Threats Since 1951
Milestone Investigations
EIS has a 73-year history of success in training disease detectives. EIS officers step up at a moment’s notice to investigate public health threats in the United States and around the world. From the Smallpox Eradication Program in the 1960’s to the COVID-19 pandemic, EIS officers are called on to protect people and save lives.
![1955 through 2016. Polio(1955), Smallpox(1966), Legionnaires Disease(1976), Ebola(1976), Asprin (1978), HIV/AIDS (1981), E.coli(1993), Anthrax (2001), SARS (2003), Ebola (2014), HIV/Hepatits (2015), Zika (2016).](/eis/images/eis-timeline-large.png?_=17006)
1951
EIS Program Inception
1966
Smallpox Eradication Program
1976
Legionnaires Disease
1976
Ebola
Zaire1978
Aspirin use and Reye’s syndrome
1981
HIV/AIDS
first reported1988
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
1993
E.coli
Jack in the Box2001
Anthrax
U.S. Postal Service2003
SARS
2009
Influenza (H1N1) pandemic
2014
Ebola
West Africa2015
HIV/Hepatitis
Opiod-related outbreak2016
Zika
2018
Ebola
Democratic Republic of the Congo2019
EVALI outbreak
e-cigarete/vaping-associated lung injury2019
Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
A Snapshot of Public Health Achievements [2 MB, 10 Pages, 508] highlights milestone investigations that improved health, made a difference in thousands of lives, and effected change in communities and entire countries.
![eis-1960-shoe-leather-150px EIS 1960 Leather Shoe Sole](/eis/about/eis-1960-shoe-leather-150px.jpg?_=72287)
Worn out shoe leather with a prominent hole worn through has been a recurring visual theme of EIS through the decades, a reference to the practice of EIS officers personally investigating disease outbreaks at the local population level, in all parts of the world.