Georgia has been an active member of the Environmental Health Specialist Network for the past two years as part of the Emeriging Infections Program FoodNet component. The program is now independent from FoodNet, and hasthe continuing goals of discovering factors that influence foodborne illness, and strengthening environmental health programs. The EHS-Net program outbreak/non-outbreak study, intended to evaluate antecedent factors to foodborne diseases, has been conducted statewide, in conjunction with local environmental health specialists. Additional EHS-Net special studies have been conducted in the 20-county Atlanta metropolitan statistical area (MSA). The Georgia EHS-Net food safety coordinator also participates actively in foodborne disease investigations and training of local environmental health specialists. The EHS-Net program is expanding to water safety, specifically as relevant to small drinking water systems not regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Georgia environmental health and epidemiology personnel have defined a catchment area and goals for a water safety program in Georgia, as part of EHS-Net.
