Center of Disease Control

Center for Disease Control

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is a national public health institute in the United States. It is a federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC is a leading national public health institute and a key component of the U.S. government's efforts to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability.

History

The CDC was founded in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center, with a primary focus on fighting malaria by killing mosquitoes. Over the years, its scope has expanded to include all communicable diseases, as well as non-communicable diseases, environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, injury prevention, and educational activities designed to improve the health of United States citizens.

Mission

The mission of the CDC is to protect America from health, safety, and security threats, both foreign and domestic. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, the CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.

Functions

The CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise. Key functions include:

• Disease Surveillance: Monitoring and tracking the spread of diseases to prevent outbreaks.
• Research: Conducting research to improve public health and develop new strategies for disease prevention.
• Public Health Education: Providing information and education to the public and healthcare professionals.
• Emergency Response: Responding to public health emergencies, such as natural disasters and disease outbreaks.
• Policy Development: Developing policies and guidelines to improve public health.

Organizational Structure

The CDC is organized into several centers, institutes, and offices, each focusing on different areas of public health. Some of the key components include:

• National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)
• National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
• National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
• Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR)

Global Health

The CDC works globally to protect the health of the American people and to improve health outcomes worldwide. It collaborates with other countries and international organizations to address global health challenges, such as infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, and health security.

Also see

• World Health Organization
• National Institutes of Health
• Public Health Service
• Epidemiology
• Infectious disease