Centers for Disease Control
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Centers for Disease Control
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the primary Federal agency that conducts and supports public health activities in the United States. According to its Web site, http://www.cdc.gov/, the CDC is “working to ensure healthy people in a healthy world.”
CDC History
The CDC celebrated its 60th year in 2006, having started as the Communicable Disease Center in Atlanta, Georgia in 1946. In its early years, the CDC concentrated on fighting malaria, borne by mosquitoes. Today, the CDC leads this country’s public health efforts to prevent and control infectious and chronic diseases, environmental health threats, disabilities, injuries and workplace hazards.
The CDC, working with states and other partners, provides a health surveillance system to monitor and prevent outbreaks of disease (including bioterrorism), maintain national health statistics and implement strategies for disease prevention.
CDC Mission and Vision
The CDC’s mission is to “collaborate to create the expertise, information and tools that people and communities need to protect their health.” CDC does this through:
• Health promotion
• Prevention of disease, injury and disability
• Preparedness for new threats to health
The CDC’s vision for the 21st century is “Health Protection…Health Equity.”
Major CDC Centers
The CDC, one of 13 operating components of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is comprised of 7 major centers:
• Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention
• Coordinating Center for Health Information and Service
• Coordinating Center for Health Promotion
• Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases
• Coordinating Office for Global Health
• Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response
• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
CDC Locations
The majority of the CDC workforce is located at the Atlanta, Georgia headquarters. But the CDC also has a major presence in 9 other U.S. cities, as well as locations around the globe:
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Durham, North Carolina
• Fort Collins, Colorado
• Hyattsville, Maryland
• Morgantown, West Virginia
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Puerto Rico
• Spokane, Washington
• Washington, D.C.
CDC Publications
In fulfilling its mission, goals and objectives, the CDC provides access to many online journals and publications. Journals include the Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), and Preventing Chronic Disease Journal. Interested parties can peruse the tables of contents, read online, or subscribe to RSS feeds.
CDC publications by topic are arranged A through Z and include such titles as:
• AIDS
• Alcohol
• Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention
• Family History and Genetics
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• High Blood Pressure
• HIV
• Hypertension
• Impaired Drivers
• Liver Disease and Viral Hepatitis
• Mental Health
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Smoking and Tobacco Use
• Smoking and Women
• Substance Abuse
• Suicide
• Suicide, Youth
• Teen Drivers
• Teen Health
• Youth Risk Behaviors
Smoking and Tobacco Use
One of the CDC’s top 10 subjects is Smoking and Tobacco Use, and the CDC site has a new report available: Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects. Among the report’s findings is that exposure to secondhand smoke leads to about a 20 to 25 percent increase in the risk of coronary heart disease.
Alcohol
Another important topic on the CDC Web site is Alcohol & Public Health. In addition to quick stats, online tools, there are numerous FAQs covering introduction to alcohol, drinking levels, excessive alcohol use, drinking problems and special populations.
There are three alcohol-related public health objectives and guidelines, including:
• Healthy People 2010 (from www.healthypeople.gov) – Highlighting major health priorities for the U.S., including a specific goal to reduce substance abuse. The goal includes the objectives of reducing alcohol-related motor vehicle crash injuries and deaths, reducing binge drinking, reducing cirrhosis deaths, and increasing substance abuse treatment.
• Chronic Disease Indicators – Comprehensive set of 92 public health measures. Public health professionals can use these indicators to improve surveillance and help develop effective intervention programs.
• U.S. Dietary Guidelines (from www.health.gov) – The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a primary source of dietary information. Chapter 9 includes recommendations on the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
CDC-sponsored Surveys
Still on the subject of alcohol, there are numerous CDC-sponsored national surveys that collect information about alcohol consumption.
• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
• Youth Risk Behavior Survey
• National Health Interview Survey
• National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
• Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System
• Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System
The site also links to other national surveys on alcohol and alcoholism, such as:
• National Survey on Drug Use and Health
• National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey
• National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions
• Monitoring the Future Survey
• National Alcohol Survey
• Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey
CDC Speakers Bureau
To meet the public’s request for real-time information on emerging health issues and current hot topics, the CDC created its Speakers Bureau in 1998. CDC employees volunteer their time to speak to organizations about a number of diverse topics such as spread of pandemic infections, emergency preparedness, HIV/AIDS, vaccines, women’s health and obesity. Their main focus is to deliver credible, current information that the audience needs to protect their health - through promotion about health, prevention of disease, disability and injury and preparedness for new threats to health.
CDC’s Online Source of Credible Health Information
Any topic that concerns public health is covered in one form or another on the CDC Web site. The comprehensive online information includes articles, general and scientific information, what’s new, fact sheets, data sources, risk and protective factors, assessment tools, consequences, prevention strategies, quick links, featured topics, featured resources, contacts for more information, and much more. Whether the subject is alcohol or sexual violence, HIV or youth risk behaviors, the CDC Web site contains the latest publicly-available information.
The CDC Web site has multimedia and tools such as podcasts, eCards, information available through mobile devices, buttons and badges (to share health messages and information about campaigns and causes), widgets (a CDC.gov application that displays featured content directly on a Web page), Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator, CDC-TV (videos on important public health issues) and more.
There’s also the press room, CDC in the news, events, press briefings and all CDC.gov features.
Contacting CDC
Contact the CDC by postal mail, toll-free telephone or email at:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
cdcinfo@cdc.gov
