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Boots on the Ground: Reports from CDC's Disease Detectives

Reports on critical public health topics at annual Epidemic Intelligence Service meeting

ATLANTA, April 16, 2018 — (PRNewswire) —  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will hold its 67th Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Conference April 16-19, 2018 in Atlanta. The annual gathering of disease detectives showcases cutting-edge investigations and often life-saving outbreak responses by EIS officers and their laboratory counterparts, the Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS) fellows.

Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (PRNewsFoto/CDC) (PRNewsFoto/CDC)

"CDC's EIS officers are our front line of defense for health threats both domestically and abroad," said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. "These dedicated professionals deploy more than 200 times in any given year to help investigate outbreaks and respond to other public health crises, and the knowledge we gain during EIS investigations helps inform future prevention efforts that save lives and protect people's health."

CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat, M.D. (RADM U.S. Public Health Service) will open the conference with remarks on Monday morning, April 16. 

This year, the conference incorporates four special sessions that will explore critical public health topics, including the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh, the need for innovative use of " big data" in public health, the 1918 influenza centenary, and the U.S. opioid overdose epidemic.

Another new feature: on April 17, four EIS officers will give a behind-the-scenes look at their investigations in a TED-style talk. The TED-style talks will cover:

On April 18, the 20th Surgeon General of the United States, Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H., will give this year's Alexander D. Langmuir Lecture on "Better Health through Better Partnerships." Dr. Adams is committed to maintaining strong relationships with the public health community and forging new partnerships with non-traditional partners, including business and law enforcement. He oversees the operations of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, which has approximately 6,500 uniformed health officers who serve in nearly 600 locations around the world to promote, protect and advance the health and safety of our nation and our world.

Disease detectives at work

During the past year, EIS and LLS officers have conducted responses to numerous public health threats. Noteworthy presentations at this year's conference include:

A digital press kit with full abstracts and downloadable photos of these and other investigations will be posted on the conference website on Monday morning.  Members of the media interested in attending the conference should contact the CDC Media Office at 404-639-3286 or media@cdc.gov, or visit http://www.cdc.gov/eis/conference.html for more information.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

CDC works 24/7 protecting America's health, safety and security. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America's most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.

Contact: CDC Media Relations
(404) 639-3286

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SOURCE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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