Easy as CDC

Mosquitoes… they do more than ruin a nice day by the river. These winged brutes cause dozens of diseases from West Nile virus to malaria. During WWII, President Roosevelt had enough. He formed a special task force to rid the nation of this infectious threat… the CDC.

Armed with insecticide sprayers, they sprayed hundreds of military bases—and later, millions of households!—throughout the southeastern United States. The CDC has expanded (and of course, iterated through many name changes) to study and prevent the world’s most deadly diseases. Now, we don’t just rely on them to swat mosquitoes, we depend on them to lead us through global pandemics.

Written and reported by Brenna Biggs.

References:

1. Our History. CDC (2019).

2. Parascandola, J. From MCWA to CDC—origins of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public Health Reports (1996).

3. Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, 5th Edition. CDC (2009).