Category: disease

10 Ways CDC Gets Ready For Emergencies

One of the best parts of my job is the opportunity to learn from a wide range of experiences. We have an obligation to not only respond to emergencies today, but to prepare for tomorrow by learning from the past. Our work extends to households affected by disease, communities ravaged by disasters, and U.S. territories Read More >

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The Power of Preparedness

If there were one thing I’d wish for, it would be the ability to predict when and where the next infectious disease outbreak would occur and stop it before it starts. I can’t do that. And neither can anyone else. At this moment, in addition to combating Zika in the United States and polio in Read More >

Posted on by Dr. Stephen Redd, Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response4 CommentsTags , , , , , ,

Typhoon Haiyan: A look at public health’s role in disaster recovery

Waives battering wooden pier and houses

Seeing images of the devastation in the Philippines reminded me of my own experiences with Hurricane Katrina and the Asian Tsunami. During both of those events, I had the honor to join CDC (and WHO in the case of Indonesia) teams to help re-establish crucial public health services and support the impacted communities. Disaster recovery Read More >

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Public Health: Are We Too Slow?

Meat thermometer and raw chicken breast

  One of the many roles of public health is to protect consumers from threats like foodborne outbreaks. Much of this hinges on quickly getting out clear messages to the public that provide simple steps to help stem the spread of disease. This is something public health professionals have been doing for over a hundred Read More >

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Disease Detection: Laboratories on the front lines

Microsopic view of anthrax spores

You can’t respond to threats if you don’t know what they are, which is one reason that laboratories play such an important role in public health. Public health laboratories have helped detect all kinds of threats to the public’s health; including anthrax, monkey pox, novel flu viruses, and foodborne disease outbreaks caused by germs like Read More >

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The Hidden Dangers of Getting Inked

The practice of tattooing has been around for thousands of years.  These days, 21% of adults in the United States report having at least one piece of permanent artwork on their bodies.   Many people who receive these lasting tributes – to loved ones, to pop culture, to religion, or to whatever they’re into – Read More >

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