ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention timeline

Okay kiddo, have you ever been sick before? Maybe you got a cold or the flu and had to stay home from school? Well, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is kind of like a big group of grown-up people who work really hard to make sure that everyone stays healthy and safe from things like germs and diseases.

The CDC has been around for a long time, since 1946, and they have a list of all the big things they've done throughout history to help keep us healthy.

They started out by learning more about infectious diseases, which are caused by tiny things called microorganisms. They figured out how people catch these diseases, how they spread, and how to stop them from spreading. They also created ways to keep track of diseases by tracking how often people get sick and where they live.

Over time, the CDC has helped with lots of big public health threats that might make a lot of people really sick all at once. They've worked hard to make sure that people are safe from polio, a disease that used to hurt a lot of kids, and from smallpox, a disease that doesn't exist anymore thanks to the CDC!

They also helped to fight against other scary diseases that you might have heard of, like flu, measles, and Ebola. They make sure that we all get vaccines to help our bodies fight off these diseases so we can stay healthy.

The CDC also helps people to be ready in case there is an emergency, like a natural disaster or a big disease outbreak. They have teams of people all across the country who are ready to jump in and help out whenever we need them.

So, that's a lot of information, but basically the CDC is like a big group of superhero scientists who work really hard to keep us all safe and healthy!
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