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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) is a national public health institute in the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its main goal is to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability in the US and internationally. The CDC focuses national attention on developing and applying disease control and prevention. It especially focuses its attention on infectious disease, food borne pathogens, environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, injury prevention and educational activities designed to improve the health of United States citizens. The CDC also conducts research and provides information on non-infectious diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, and is a founding member of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes.

History

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Establishment edit The Communicable Disease Center was founded July 1, 1946, as the successor to the World War II Malaria Control in War Areas program of the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities. Preceding its founding, organizations with global influence in malaria control were the Malaria Commission of the League of Nations and the Rockefeller Foundation. The Rockefeller Foundation greatly supported malaria control, sought to have the governments take over some of its efforts, and collaborated with the agency. The new agency was a branch of the U.S. Public Health Service and Atlanta was chosen as the location because malaria was endemic in the Southern United States. The agency changed names (see infobox on top) before adopting the name Communicable Disease Center in 1946. Offices were located on the sixth floor of the Volunteer Building on Peachtree Street. citation needed With a budget at the time of about $1   million, 59 percent of its personnel were engaged in

Organization

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The CDC is organized into "Centers, Institutes, and Offices" (CIOs), with each organizational unit implementing the agency's activities in a particular area of expertise while also providing intra-agency support and resource-sharing for cross-cutting issues and specific health threats. Generally, CDC "Offices" are subdivided into Centers, which in turn are composed of Divisions and Branches. However, the Center for Global Health and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are freestanding organizational units and do not belong to a parent Office. As of August 2019, the CIOs are: Director Principal Deputy Director Deputy Director – Public Health Service and Implementation Science Office of Minority Health and Health Equity Center for Global Health Center for Preparedness and Response Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territory Support Deputy Director – Public Health Science and Surveillance Office of Science Office of Laboratory Science

Budget

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CDC's budget for fiscal year 2018 is $11.9   billion. The CDC offers grants that help many organizations each year advance health, safety and awareness at the community level throughout the United States. The CDC awards over 85 percent of its annual budget through these grants.

Workforce

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As of 2008update, CDC staff numbered approximately 15,000 personnel (including 6,000 contractors and 840 United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers) in 170 occupations. Eighty percent held bachelor's degrees or higher; almost half had advanced degrees (a master's degree or a doctorate such as a PhD, D.O., or M.D.). Common CDC job titles include engineer, entomologist, epidemiologist, biologist, physician, veterinarian, behavioral scientist, nurse, medical technologist, economist, public health advisor, health communicator, toxicologist, chemist, computer scientist, and statistician. The CDC also operates a number of notable training and fellowship programs, including those indicated below. Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) edit The Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) is composed of "boots-on-the-ground disease detectives" who investigate public health problems domestically and globally. When called upon by a governmental body, EIS officers may e

Leadership

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The Director of CDC is a Senior Executive Service position that may be filled either by a career employee, or as a political appointment that does not require Senate confirmation, with the latter method typically being used. The director serves at the pleasure of the President and may be fired at any time. The CDC director concurrently serves as the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Twenty directors have served the CDC or its predecessor agencies, including three who have served during the Trump administration (including Anne Schuchat who served two terms as acting director). Louis L. Williams Jr., MD (1942–1943) Mark D. Hollis, ScD (1944–1946) Raymond A. Vonderlehr, MD (1947–1951) Justin M. Andrews, ScD (1952–1953) Theodore J. Bauer, MD (1953–1956) Robert J. Anderson, MD, MPH (1956–1960) Clarence A. Smith, MD, MPH (1960–1962) James L. Goddard, MD, MPH (1962–1966) David J. Sencer, MD, MPH (1966–1977) William H. Foege, MD, MPH (1977–1983) J

Datasets and survey systems

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CDC Scientific Data, Surveillance, Health Statistics, and Laboratory Information. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the world's largest, ongoing telephone health-survey system. Mortality Medical Data System. Abortion statistics in the United States CDC WONDER (Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research) Data systems of the National Center for Health Statistics

Areas of focus

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Communicable diseases edit The CDC's programs address more than 400 diseases, health threats, and conditions that are major causes of death, disease, and disability. The CDC's website has information on various infectious (and noninfectious) diseases, including smallpox, measles, and others. Influenza edit The CDC targets the transmission of influenza, including the H1N1 swine flu, and launched websites to educate people about hygiene. Division of Select Agents and Toxins edit Within the division are two programs: the Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP) and the Import Permit Program. The FSAP is run jointly with an office within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, regulating agents that can cause disease in humans, animals, and plants. The Import Permit Program regulates the importation of "infectious biological materials." The CDC runs a program that protects the public from rare and dangerous substances such as anthrax and the Ebola virus. The program, called the Fe

Foundation

The CDC Foundation operates independently from CDC as a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the State of Georgia. The creation of the Foundation was authorized by section 399F of the Public Health Service Act to support the mission of CDC in partnership with the private sector, including organizations, foundations, businesses, educational groups, and individuals.

Popular culture and controversies

Tuskegee study of untreated syphilis in Black men edit For 15 years, the CDC had direct oversight over the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. In the study, which lasted from 1932 to 1972, a group of Black men (nearly 400 of whom had syphilis) were studied to learn more about the disease. The disease was left untreated in the men, who had not given their informed consent to serve as research subjects. The Tuskegee Study was initiated in 1932 by the Public Health Service, with the CDC taking over the Tuskegee Health Benefit Program in 1995. AIDS crisis edit The CDC's response to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s has been criticized for promoting some public health policies that harmed HIV+ people and for providing ineffective public education. 2001 anthrax attacks edit The agency's response to the 2001 anthrax attacks was also criticized for ineffective communication with other public health agencies and with the public. Zombie Apocalypse campaign edit On May 16, 2011, the Centers for Dise

Publications

CDC publications State of CDC report CDC Programs in Brief Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Emerging Infectious Diseases (monthly journal) Preventing Chronic Disease Vital statistics

Further reading

Editorial (May 16, 2020). "Reviving the US CDC". The Lancet. p. 1521 . Retrieved May 15, 2020 .