With regard to the current epidemics of avian influenza H5N1 in China and many other southeast Asian countries, an ED-SSS like the one we developed in Taiwan may play an important role in detecting an outbreak possibly caused by human-to-human transmission even when cluster size is small [31] [32] [33] [34] . Through early detection, ED-SSS may help minimize the adaptation of avian influenza virus to human populations. Because of the large volume of business traffic, international travelers, and workers from Southeast Asia coming to Taiwan, it has previously been difficult to do real-time surveillance for imported infectious diseases, including dengue, malaria, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and SARS. However, using the ED-SSS to monitor health status at the community level may help public health decision-makers handle unexpected health threats. Because countries are so interconnected today, it is imperative that we share our health information and experiences with other countries if international health is to be guarded. Our ED-SSS has equipped Taiwan the ability to closely monitor avian influenza and other potential EIDs in Asia and worldwide. We hope that by sharing our experiences developing ED-SSS, other countries can be encouraged to develop and improve their own surveillance systems for infectious disease.