Throughout the world, governments and NGOs are some of the largest collectors and aggregators of information about public health. They also often publish analyses of public health data. These publications aren't considered to be scholarly, because they aren't peer reviewed, but they are considered to be reliable for the most part. Your professors may sometimes ask you to find or consult a government source, and the ones listed on this page are good places to start. If you are looking specifically for public health data or statistics, consult the library's guide on Health Data and Statistics.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Searchable compilation of Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports, guidelines, and numeric public health data.
Links to scientific data, surveillance, health statistics and laboratory information.
Published weekly, statistical reports on specific diseases as reported by state and some at the city level.
Healthy People 2020 is a 10 year road map to identify national health priorities. It is also a great portal to health data and research on specific topics.
ICD-10 : The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision is a way of creating a thesaurus for health conditions, a code to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to naming conventions for disease and causes of mortality and morbidity. Use it to locate causes of mortality and morbidity in many data resources.
Maternal and Child Health Library
The MCH Library is a virtual guide to maternal and child health information. It offers a combination of MCH information compiled by library staff and pathways to the best MCH information available on other Web sites, from organizations, and in libraries.
Native Health Research Database
The Native Health Databases focuses on the health and health care of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Canadian First Nations. The databases provide information for the benefit, use, and education of organizations and individuals with an interest in health-related issues, programs, and initiatives regarding North American indigenous peoples.
Data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition through more than 200 surveys in over 75 countries. Compiled by USAID.
National Library of Medicine's database of free public health documents on disaster medicine. Includes expert guidelines, fact sheets, research reports, websites, etc.
NIH Disaster Research Response
This is a subset of Disaster Lit. Contains survey forms and data collection instruments for use in disaster response situations.