GIDEON: a computer program for diagnosis, simulation, and informatics in the fields of geographic medicine and emerging diseases.

Over 300 infectious diseases occur and are challenged by over 250 drugs and vaccines. Fifteen hundred species of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi have been described, and printed media can no longer keep up with the dynamics of diseases, outbreaks, and epidemics in “real time.” Although electronic media have given us unlimited information access, the search for meaningful data is confusing and time-consuming. Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network (GIDEON) is a computer software program that was developed for disease simulation and informatics in the fields of geographic and travel medicine. GIDEON is currently used in 1,500 sites in 45 countries: health ministries, military installations, travel clinics, libraries and student teaching modules, clinical departments, laboratories, and missionary agencies. The program consists of four components. The first generates a Bayesian ranked differential diagnosis based on signs, symptoms, laboratory tests, country of origin, and incubation period and can be used for diagnostic support and simulation of all infectious diseases in all countries. In a blind trial conducted on 495 patients, the correct diagnosis was included in the differential diagnosis list in 94.7% of cases (sensitivity) and displayed as the first disease in the list in 75% (specificity). The second component presents the epidemiology of