[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 98 (Friday, June 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S7298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CDC

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, this month marks the 50th anniversary of 
the Nation's premiere disease prevention agency--the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention. CDC was originally created to work with 
State and local health officials to fight malaria, typhus and other 
communicable diseases. Today, it's expanded mission is to promote 
health and the quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, 
injury, and disability.
  Over the years, CDC has implemented numerous prevention programs that 
have saved lives and improved public health. One of the most dramatic 
accomplishments has been in combating infectious diseases through its 
childhood immunization initiatives. During this time, we have witnessed 
the eradication of the centuries-old scourge of smallpox, and the 
virtual elimination of polio in the Western Hemisphere.
  In recent years, CDC has been at the forefront of the battle against 
HIV and AIDS. It has initiated numerous studies, surveys, and 
prevention activities targeting all populations, including women and 
youth. It has developed and coordinated community planning programs to 
ensure that prevention efforts include services that are effective in 
various communities and scientifically sound.
  CDC's immunization leadership deserves great credit. Infectious 
diseases used to kill or disable thousands of children every year. In 
1995, vaccine-preventable diseases reached an all-time low, largely 
because immunization rates had reached an all-time high.
  Yet there is still much to be done on immunization. Today over 1 
million 2-year-olds lack one or more doses of recommended vaccines. CDC 
established the childhood immunization initiative to strengthen efforts 
to ensure that children are protected against vaccine-preventable 
diseases. The Vaccines for Children Program is one of the key 
components of this initiative, which CDC is implementing in partnership 
with States and providers nationwide.
  CDC also works effectively to prevent birth defects and genetic 
diseases, and it has had remarkable success in reducing mental 
retardation, fetal alcohol syndrome, and neural tube defects, including 
spina bifida and anencephaly.
  CDC also investigates many environmental hazards, including 
radiation, air pollution, and lead poisoning. In the 1970's, CDC was 
instrumental in encouraging the Environmental Protection Agency to 
order the removal of virtually all lead from gasoline, on the basis of 
studies that identified gasoline as a primary source of lead poisoning. 
The blood lead levels of American children have declined by 70 percent 
as a result of that action.
  In another principle initiative, CDC is working in partnership with 
States and public and private organizations to reduce tobacco use and 
exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, by communicating health 
information to the public, and assisting States in conducting 
prevention programs to achieve these essential goals.
  CDC promotes women's health in numerous ways, including the Breast 
Cancer and Cervical Cancer Program, sexually transmitted disease 
programs, reproductive health research and analysis, and women's health 
data collection. In addition, CDC has established an Office on Women's 
Health and has made these issues one of the five priorities of the 
agency.
  CDC also responds to emergencies at home and abroad, including 
floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters. It sent 
representatives to help respond to the terrorist bombing of the World 
Trade Center in New York City and the Federal building in Oklahoma 
City. In the last year, it has developed a national strategy for 
responding to emerging infectious disease threats. By implementing 
surveillance systems to identify problems and their causes, and 
developing appropriate responses, CDC's leadership has been 
indispensable in minimizing the impact of these threats on public 
health.
  I commend the agency for its extraordinary contributions to the 
Nation and the world. We need its leadership now, more then ever. New 
public health challenges await us in the future. Diseases and disasters 
are no longer easily confined to their place of origin, and wars and 
natural disasters create new opportunities for the spread of infectious 
diseases. The lessons of the past 50 years have taught us that we must 
expect the unexpected. Whether the issue is fighting Ebola outbreaks in 
Africa the reemergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the United 
States, or many other public health threats, we know the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention will be at the forefront of the 
worldwide effort to combat them.

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