Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, often referred to as the CDC, is an agency of the Public Health Service and part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It works to protect public health by administering national programs for the prevention and control of disease and disability.
The agency provides health information and statistics and conducts research to track down the sources of epidemics. It helps train doctors in epidemiology, the study of the causes, distribution, and control of the spread of disease. The CDC works with state and local agencies and private organizations to develop immunization services and other programs to eliminate or prevent causes of disease. It also has established programs to ensure a rapid response by federal, state, and local agencies to attacks that involve biological warfare or biological terrorism.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a unit of the CDC, develops standards for safe and healthful working conditions. The CDC cooperates with foreign governments and international agencies in a worldwide effort to prevent disease and improve health. The CDC was established in 1946. Its headquarters and many of its laboratories are in Atlanta, Georgia.
