The Epi Info™ Story ~ 1987-1988 Versions 2, 3, 4

1987 - Version 2

Epi Info™, Version 2, had a bound manual of 112 pages, a pulldown menu, the EPED word processor for creating questionnaires, ENTER, ANALYSIS, an epidemiologic calculator called STATCALC, EPICURVE for plotting histograms, a MERGE program, and IMPORT and CONVERT programs for file conversions.

The TABLES command began to offer statistical output. Note the negative chi square, probably a result of limitations in integer values in an early version of Turbo Pascal.

The first versions of Epi Info™ were distributed by Andy, Jeff, and Tony from their office.

Suggestions came from users in the field and were rapidly incorporated into new versions of the software.
1988 - Version 3

Epi Info™, Version 3, came with a 150-page manual, enhanced statistics, and sample programs, including two outbreaks and a surveillance system.

The programs and manual remained in the public domain, but copies were also marketed by a commercial firm in Atlanta --USD, Inc.-- without any special arrangement with CDC.

This provided a means of distribution that did not require copying by CDC office staff or permission to distribute through government channels.

The graphing of epidemic curves was a popular feature (despite an optical illusion caused by the diagonal line pattern).
1988 - Version 4

CDC and WHO Collaboration

WHO, Geneva

CDC, Atlanta

Epi Info™, Version 4, was developed by Tony Burton, who had moved to the World Health Organization, Geneva, and by Jeff Dean, who worked there during summer vacations.

It had greatly enhanced features, but also a number of bugs, and was used as the basis for Version 5, released from CDC.

Chris Smith

Karl Brendel

Tom Arner