Announcement: CDC’s 70th Anniversary
Weekly / July 1, 2016 / 65(25);657
July 1, 2016, marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of CDC. Since the agency’s launch as the Communicable Disease Center on July 1, 1946, CDC’s primary mission has been improving public health in the United States and around the world through prevention and preparedness. In the seven decades since CDC’s founding, the agency has grown in size and mission and is recognized as the nation’s premiere health promotion, disease prevention, and emergency preparedness agency, and a global leader in public health. CDC’s mission has progressed beyond communicable disease control and now encompasses noninfectious diseases, injury prevention, and environmental and occupational health.
During the first decade of the 21st century, CDC contributed to major public health achievements, including reductions in child mortality; improvements in prevention and control of vaccine-preventable diseases, human immunodeficiency virus infection, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, malaria, and tuberculosis; reductions in deaths from chronic diseases; control of the global tobacco epidemic; and declines in deaths and injuries from motor vehicle crashes (1). From fighting malaria in the aftermath of World War II to protecting the public from infectious and noninfectious diseases, injuries, and environmental and occupational health threats, to preventing disabilities and combating pandemic influenza and Ebola and Zika viruses, CDC remains committed to its mission of protecting health and saving lives.
Reference
- CDC. Ten great public health achievements—United States, 2001–2010. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2011;60:619–23. PubMedexternal icon
Suggested citation for this article: Announcement: CDC’s 70th Anniversary. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:657. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6525a4external icon.
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