Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director
The CDC is the health sentinel for our nation. Monitoring and surveillance are among our key functions, allowing the country to know the extent of health problems, which populations are most affected and whether interventions are working.

WASHINGTON — The world’s first malaria vaccine may finally be within reach.
Scientists and public health officials are optimistic about recent news that a malaria vaccine candidate was able to reduce the risk of malaria by half in young African children in the first results of a Phase III trial.

WASHINGTON, DC—With two-fifths of the world’s population at risk for dengue fever, a severe flu-like illness which sometimes leads to fatal complications, the development of a vaccine has long been an important, albeit elusive, goal in managing the disease.

WASHINGTON, DC—Although an increase in the prevalence of asthma has slowed since the mid-1990s, it still remains at historically high levels, a CDC report released this year found.

WASHINGTON, DC—Two out of three US adults with high cholesterol and half of US adults with high blood pressure are not being treated effectively, according to CDC’s Vital Signs. “Heart disease is the leading killer in America, and the bottom line is that high blood pressure and high cholesterol are out of control for most Americans who have these conditions,” said CDC Director Thomas Frieden, MD.

WASHINGTON, DC—Progress has been made in increasing the number of Americans tested for HIV.

BETHESDA, MD— “In 1981, we were not at all prepared in the attitude at the time, and in the availability of responsible, qualified basic medical virologists. I was there. I know how people got involved, and it wasn’t by responsibility, but by chance.”
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WASHINGTON, DC—Many who smoke are also using smokeless tobacco. New data compiled by CDC that covers use of smokeless tobacco in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam found that the rates of smokers who also use smokeless tobacco, including chew tobacco and snuff, range from 0.9% in Puerto Rico to 13.7% in Wyoming.

WASHINGTON, DC—At the age of 19, Marvelyn Brown, a college student, was sick in the hospital when she was confronted with the news that she was HIV positive.

WASHINGTON, DC—The 40-year decline in tobacco use in the US has stalled, according to CDC. A new CDC report states that the number of adult smokers dropped between 2000 and 2005, but smoking has remained at about 20% to 21% since 2005.