Dear Colleague,

On September 9, Warner Brothers will be releasing the movie Contagion, a fictional drama that portrays CDC and other U.S. and international partners responding to an emerging infectious disease outbreak.  We are reaching out to you and other members of the public health community in an effort to take advantage of this opportunity to provide accurate and potentially life-saving information to the public about how to prepare for a public health emergency.   

When asked to respond to the inevitable question about the plot of the movie, “Could this really happen?”  CDC is compelled to say, “Not only could it happen, CDC scientists are working 24/7 to find out if it’s happening right now.” We hope you will consider highlighting the following websites for your own audiences, particularly during September (National Preparedness Month).  

• CDC preparedness information
• Emergency preparedness for individuals
• Flu prevention information

In addition, I hope the following information about CDC’s role in emergency preparedness and response is helpful.  

• CDC works with state and local health departments across the United States, as well as international partners around the world, to recognize disease patterns and improve the public health community’s ability to respond to health threats.
• CDC and its partners play key roles in homeland security by maintaining the ability to detect and respond to outbreaks, as well as natural and man-made disasters, at home and abroad.
• CDC is a key source of evidence for health action — monitoring health, informing clinical and policy decision-making, and providing individuals the information they need to take responsibility for their own health.
• CDC supports state and local public health partners with training and guidance to ensure   nationwide lab capacity for detecting and responding to health threats, as well as the capacity to address key risk factors leading to premature death, injury, and disease.
• CDC recognizes that state and local public health departments are the first responders when disease threats occur, and it is their initial investigations that help CDC quickly assist them.

With a sense of urgency, I ask you to take every opportunity to help us educate others about how CDC and the public health community work to keep America safe and how they can join in by being prepared themselves. To learn more about Contagion and how CDC protects America 24/7, visit the following sites:

• Contagion official website — Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the movie stars Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Lawrence Fishburne
• Contagion and CDC — A website created by the CDC Foundation to help separate fact from fiction and to highlight CDC’s role in preparedness and response
• CDC 24/7 — A CDC website that includes information you may find useful on how public health protects Americans from outbreaks

Thank you for your help in spreading the word about the critically important role emergency preparedness plays in protecting the health of people in this country and around the world.  

Sincerely,
Judith A. Monroe, MD, FAAFP
Deputy Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Director, Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support