CDC: Saving Lives and Protecting People 24/7

CDC′s mission, simply put, is to keep Americans safe and healthy where they work, live and play. Scientists and disease detectives work around the world to track diseases, research outbreaks, respond to emergencies of all kinds, and use what they learn from this work to develop and advocate public health policies that strengthen America′s health and resilience. CDC experts available where and when a problem first occurs can potentially save hundreds, even thousands, from illness, injury or death. Investing globally and acting locally enables CDC to be better prepared to combat any threat to the health and safety of American citizens, no matter where in the world it might first arise
Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights it and supports communities and citizens to prevent it.
CDC highlights a selection of people, outreach, and research on the CDC 24/7 Homepage. Here are some of the newest stories that tell what it means that the CDC is the nation’s health protection agency - saving lives and protecting people.

CDC Test for Dengue Fever Approved

Dengue, a painful and sometimes deadly viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes, threatens more than 3.5 billion people worldwide. Dengue is endemic in at least 100 countries in Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and parts of Africa. Recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed a new diagnostic test to detect the presence of dengue virus in people with symptoms of dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever.

CDC’s Disease Detective Camp

Photo: Campers speaking about highlights of the week at the camp’s final presentation

Twice a summer the David J. Spencer CDC Museum hosts a Disease Detectives Camp for high school students. This June, during a week-long crash course in epidemiology, a group of juniors and seniors had a chance to explore not only CDC’s Atlanta campus, but also the many jobs that CDC has to offer.