CDC Timeline 2010s

Take a minute to review many of CDC’s momentous contributions to public health since it was organized in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center.

 

2020s | 2010s |  2000s  |  1990s  |  1980s |  1970s  |  1960s  |  1950s  |  1940s

2010s

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    e-cigarette investigation
    2019
    • CDC activates its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Monday, September 16, 2019, to enhance the inter-agency response to the current investigation into lung injury cases with e-cigarette product use, or vaping
    • The Center for Preparedness and Response (CPR) releases a new Personal Health Preparedness Digital Toolkit
    • CDC reports 704 cases of measles in the United States since the beginning of 2019, represent­ing the largest number of cases reported in the country in a single year since 1994
    • CDC celebrates the 50TH anniversary of the high-containment laboratories (HCL)
    • CDC activates the EOC for Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
    • The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) debuts Small Business Traveler safety web page
    • CDC lab research shows two treatments effective against DRC Ebola strain
    • Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) documents persistent racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related deaths
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    pathogens
    2018
    • Whole-genome sequencing becomes the new PulseNet gold standard for subtyping pathogens that cause foodborne illness
    • CDC establishes the Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) Task Force to aid ongoing investigations to define the cause and improve treatment and outcomes for patients with AFM
    • CDC participates in the Antimicrobial Resistance AMR Challenge, a yearlong effort by the U.S. government to accelerate the fight against antimicrobial resistance
    • CDC coordinates national surveillance activities for possible cases of vitamin K-dependent unexplained bleeding associated with synthetic cannabinoids
    • National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) now includes all 50 states
    • CDC investigates several multi-state outbreaks of Salmonella infections linked to contact with live poultry in backyard flocks
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    opioid painkillers
    2017
    • Public health officials announce that drug overdoses have become the leading cause of death for Americans under age 50, with more than two-thirds of those deaths coming from opioid painkillers
    • CDC unveils the new free Milestone Tracker app, making it easy for parents to track their young children’s development
    • The Division of Viral Hepatitis (DVH) assists multiple state and local health departments with hepatitis A outbreaks, spread through person-to-person contact
    • CDC Introduces the RX Awareness campaign, communicating the dangers of prescription opioids
    • CDC launches Be Antibiotics Aware, a nationwide communication effort to optimize antibiotic prescribing among healthcare providers and educate patients and the public about appropriate antibiotic use
    • CDC responds to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria
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    Zika Virus outbreak (in Americas and U.S. Territories) response
    2016
    • CDC responds to lead contamination in the Flint, Michigan water supply
    • CDC and the World Health Organization launch the Global Hearts Initiative to support governments in strengthening cardiovascular disease prevention and control
    • CDC’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activates for Zika virus disease on January 22, 2016, and moved to a level 1 activation—the highest level – on February 8, 2016
    • The largest outbreak of Elizabethkingia anophelis infections is reported from November 1, 2015, to March 2, 2016, in Wisconsin. Investigators used Advanced Molecular Detection to pinpoint the bacteria as Elizabethkingia anophelis, discovered in 2011
    • CDC’s Emergency Response and Recovery Branch leads efforts to support countries impacted by Hurricane Matthew
    • CDC Implements the Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative to work toward meeting national goals and establishes the Antibiotic Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit (ARX)
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    2015
  • Timelineicon
    The first case of Ebola is reported in Guinea in March; the disease spreads into the neighboring countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone
    2014
    • The first case of Ebola is reported in Guinea in March; the disease spreads into the neighboring countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone
    • CDC activates its Emergency Operations Center to respond to the largest Ebola outbreak in history affecting multiple countries in West Africa. CDC helps coordinate the response at the national level, providing health education and assisting with database management. CDC trains teams of people who can do contact tracing, finding everyone who came in direct contact with a sick Ebola patient
    • CDC responds to a multistate outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg infections linked to chicken
    • CDC responds to an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
    • Global Health Security Agenda initiated at CDC
    • CDC begins tracking Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) cases to develop a greater understanding of the disease
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    CDC activates its Emergency Operations Center to investigate a novel coronavirus called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
    2013
    • CDC activates its Emergency Operations Center to investigate a novel coronavirus called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
    • CDC launches the Ready Wrigley campaign to provide parents, guardians, teachers, and young children with tips, activities, and a story to help the whole family prepare for emergencies
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    2012
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    2011
    • CDC responds to a multi-state outbreak of listeriosis linked to whole cantaloupes. A new food categorization scheme is implemented in the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (FDOSS) and begins publishing annual summaries online
    • June 5, 2011, marks the 30th year since CDC reported the first cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
    • CDC continues to support the global polio eradication effort by activating the Emergency Operations Center to strengthen the agency’s partnership engagement through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which is committed to completing the eradication of polio
    • CDC’s museum, the Global Health Odyssey Museum, is renamed the David J. Sencer CDC Museum in honor of the longest serving director of the agency
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    In the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti, CDC response effort helps prevent 7,000 deaths from cholera
    2010
    • In the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti, CDC response effort helps prevent 7,000 deaths from cholera
    • Healthy People 2020 is published by DHHS. A new focus on blood disorders and blood safety addresses bleeding and clotting disorders, and hemoglobinopathies
    • The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is enacted. One of the requirements is that any federally conducted or supported health care or public health program, activity, or survey collect and report, to the extent practicable, data on disability status
    • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides technical assistance for responder safety and health in the Deepwater Horizon containment and cleanup
    • The CDC Vital Signs monthly report is launched. It includes an MMWR Early Release, a graphic fact sheet and website, a media release, and social media tools

Page last reviewed: January 19, 2021