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CDC 2009-2012 Accomplishments

CDC: Saving lives and Protecting People

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is America’s health protection agency against key health threats.

We work to:

  • Improve health security at home and around the world
    CDC’s expertise in preparedness, rapid detection, and response will save lives and safeguard communities from health threats
  • Better prevent the leading causes of illness, injury, disability, and death
    CDC is helping build a strong, efficient, and effective public health system that improves health and lowers health care costs
  • Strengthen Public Health and health Care Collaboration
    The Affordable Care Act provides a unique opportunity to increase the value of health investment by aligning, coordinating, and integrating public health and health care

CDC has achieved meaningful successes that have saved lives and protected people. These accomplishments reflect how CDC’s unique public health expertise in disease tracking, real-time emergency response, and groundbreaking research ensures America’s health security. CDC works 24/7 to keep Americans safe from health threats – whether from the U.S. or abroad, whether from infectious or non-communicable diseases, or from other causes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is America’s health protection agency against key health threats.

CDC Accomplishment Highlights

Save Lives and Protect People

Save Lives and Protect People Americans are less likely to be injured or killed on the road.

  • Deaths from motor vehicle crashes are near their all-time low. CDC data have helped states implement primary seat belt laws, child safety seat legislation, and safer licensing laws for young drivers. Thirty-nine states now have laws for mandatory use of ignition interlock systems after a first conviction of driving under the influence.
  • Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teenagers. CDC is helping parents play a key role in keeping their teens safe on the road through the Parents Are the Key campaign, which provides tools and proven steps to reduce teen driving injuries and deaths.

Support Public Health in Your Community

Support public health in your community CDC works continuously with state and local public health partners, providing them the guidance and support they need to handle a variety of health threats.

  • New CDC research indicates that all Americans born between 1945 and 1965 should be tested for Hepatitis C. Implementation of these recommendations could prevent more than 100,000 premature deaths.
  • CDC supports healthy school environments. Approximately 40% fewer schools sell low-nutrition food and sugar-sweetened beverages on school grounds.

CDC Protects the U.S. from Global Health Threats

CDC protects the U.S. from global health threatsCountries are better able to find and stop health threats – and Americans are safer because diseases and pandemics are stopped before they reach U.S. borders.

  • CDC’s Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) has strengthened health systems in more than 60 countries by graduating more than 2,600 highly trained disease detectives, approximately 80% of whom remain in their countries in a leadership role detecting and responding to health threats. Since 2009, CDC-supported FETPs have responded to 709 outbreaks and strengthened 1,293 surveillance systems, resulting in increased capacity to detect disease and prevent its spread in these countries and around the world.

CDC's Cutting-Edge Disease Tracking and Laboratories Ensure Health Security

CDC’s cutting-edge disease tracking and laboratories ensure health security Americans’ lives are protected by groundbreaking advances in the nation’s public health laboratories.

  • CDC’s laboratories were the first in the world to identify and report the new 2009 H1N1 virus. CDC also tracked the characteristics and spread of the disease as well as the safety of the vaccine. In the U.S. alone, more than 80 million Americans were vaccinated and the combined interventions of vaccination and antiviral treatment prevented about 1 million cases of flu, more than 15,000 hospitalizations, and more than 800 deaths.

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