Eight former CDC directors: Hollowing out the CDC is a prescription for disaster

FIRST OPINION SPECIAL EDITION

Eight former CDC directors: Hollowing out the CDC is a prescription for disaster

By William Foege, William Roper, Jeffrey Koplan, Julie Gerberding, Tom Frieden, Brenda Fitzgerald, Robert Redfield, and Rochelle Walensky

Ron Harris/AP

As former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we are deeply concerned that recent recommendations to pare back the CDC would cost lives and damage the economy.

One misguided narrative is that the CDC should focus only on a "core mission" of combatting infectious diseases. In fact, the core mission of the CDC is to save lives and protect Americans from all health threats — not only infectious diseases but also cancer, environmental risks, injuries, and the conditions that are the leading causes of death among Americans.

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In a special edition of the "First Opinion Podcast," STAT executive editor Rick Berke and senior writer Helen Branswell interviewed the country's former top infectious disease expert about some of the insights and revelations from his new memoir, "On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service."