[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 98 (Friday, June 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7327-S7328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION FOR 50 YEARS 
       OF LEADERSHIP AND ACHIEVEMENT IN SUPPORT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, today I have the distinct honor of 
recognizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] for 50 
years of activities dedicated to protecting the public health of the 
people of the United States. What began on July 1, 1946, as the 
Communicable Disease Center has expanded its purview to include a wide 
range of efforts in research and prevention of disease, disability, and 
injury. In service to humankind, our Nation and the world, CDC 
employees have distinguished the agency and themselves through their 
efforts in the laboratory, the office and the field at the Atlanta 
headquarters, several sites nationwide and locations spotting the 
globe.
  In 1996, the activities of the CDC reflect the wide range of issues 
and activities necessary to promote the public health. The CDC is still 
a center of activity to combat infectious disease, but today, it is 
much more. The CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service, established in 
1951, continues to train doctors to solve the most complex medical 
mysteries and as the original focus of the CDC has expanded, new 
divisions devoted to occupational safety and health, chronic disease 
prevention and health promotion, injury prevention, health statistics, 
and environmental health have been established. The components of the 
CDC also reflect the diversity of society; currently there are

[[Page S7328]]

offices dedicated to women's and minority health.
  As we know, threats to the public health recognize no national 
boundaries. So today, the CDC also plays an important role in worldwide 
efforts to promote health, overcome global health threats, eradicate 
disease, and prevent illness, disability, and premature death. There is 
a small number of CDC staff members working around the world. During 
its first half century, the CDC has responded to health emergencies in 
such diverse locales as Love Canal, Philadelphia, New Mexico, 
Washington State, Southeast Asia, India, and Zaire.
  CDC activities have paralleled the revolutionary advances in medical 
sciences made during the second half of the 20th century. Throughout 
the first 50 years of the CDC, we can point to events which represent 
significant milestones in the mission to promote a healthy nation. The 
litany of achievements is too long to list here, but includes a primary 
role in the eradication of smallpox; the identification of the linkage 
between smoking and cancer; the publication of public health 
statistics; the immunization of children; the tracking of health 
trends; and the surveillance and investigation of threats to health 
including polio, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Legionnaires' disease, Ebola, 
and exposure to hazardous substances.
  Promoting health is more than merely controlling the spread of 
microorganisms. Promoting health involves research and education. As 
early as 1947, the CDC established programs to communicate information 
to the public concerning specific health problems or illnesses. Through 
the years, there have been many topics covered including rabies, 
measles, gonorrhea, diabetes, nutrition for women of child-bearing age, 
breast cancer, and HIV/AIDS. Promoting health also demands that we 
focus on changing behavior which is clearly unsafe or potentially 
dangerous. To that end, the CDC has launched efforts concerning tobacco 
use and violence in our society.
  During its 50 year history, the CDC has been in the forefront of 
efforts to combat more recent threats to health such as HIV/AIDS, as 
well as afflictions which have menaced us in the longer term, like 
cardiovascular disease. The CDC is also looking ahead by targeting more 
prevention efforts to youth; enhancing the capabilities of communities 
to detect, monitor, and overcome health problems; and developing 
partnerships which will enhance efforts to change unhealthy behavior. 
The CDC enters its sixth decade focused on priorities designed to 
detect, meet, and overcome threats to the health of the people of our 
Nation and the world.
  Today, the CDC provides leadership and direction in the prevention 
and control of diseases and other health conditions. I commend the CDC 
for its past efforts and I am confident that as new menaces to the 
public health emerge and new priorities evolve, the CDC will remain 
vigilant, proactive, and poised to take action to protect the people of 
our Nation and the world.

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