The mission of the Centers for Disease Control is to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. This site contains information on health and safety topics, public health issues, and health statistics.

• DIRLINE Directory of Health Organizations (National Library of Medicine)

The National Library of Medicine has compiled a directory of organizations and other resources in health and biomedicine that is available via DIRLINE.

• e-Health Library

The e-Health Library offers information on hundreds of conditions, procedures, and medications. Many of these resources are also available in Spanish.

• Familydoctor.org

Created by the American Academy of Family Physicians, this site provides easily understood consumer health information, including patient handouts. The topics are searchable, or they can be browsed by alphabetical listing, by general category, or by part of the body affected. The site includes a drug information section, a dictionary of medical terms, a Spanish-language section, and a search engine to find a family physician in your area.

• Genetics Home Reference

Genetics Home Reference provides consumer-friendly information about the effects of genetic variations on human health.

• Healthfinder

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthfinder provides an easy-to-use collection of health Web sites that members of the Department have reviewed. Health topics are listed alphabetically, and a search engine is provided as well. Topics are also arranged by population groups. The site includes a link giving a selection of health sites in Spanish.

• KidsHealth.org (Nemours Foundation)

• Mayo Clinic

This site presents health information written by physicians, scientists, writers and educators from the Mayo Clinic.

• Medem

Medem.com is sponsored and produced by some of the nation's leading medical societies, including the American Medical Association. Information is arranged by life stages, diseases and conditions, therapies, and social/environmental issues.

• MedlinePlus

Created by the National Library of Medicine, this site provides accurate and up-to-date health information and includes an encyclopedia and a list of dictionaries. Health topics can be searched or browsed by means of an alphabetical listing. Both easy-to-read and Spanish sites are included, as well as a news section on the first page giving the latest health headlines.

• MerckSource

Developed by Merck & Company, this site offers physician-reviewed information. Among its special features are Virtual Body Tours, which are interactive guides using animation and pictures to show how the body works; the Home Edition of The Merck Manual; and Health Centers for Women, Men, Seniors and Children. A section called You and Your Doctor includes lists of questions to ask your doctor about different conditions and treatments.

• The National Women's Health Information Center

This site is a service of the Office on Women's Health in the US Department of Health and Human Services. This national resource was designed to help ensure a healthier future for all American women. This site includes easy-to-navigate features and clearly organized topics arranged according to women's needs. For instance, calculators on the site can help women figure out the due date of a pregnancy, their risk of heart disease, and how to plan menus that can keep themselves and their families at healthy weights.

• NOAH

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce and several New York libraries, NOAH (New York Online Access to Health) offers a large collection of health topics that can be browsed by subject category or place in the alphabet, or can be searched by a search engine. Everything is available in both English and Spanish.