February 13, 2004

Head of CDC visits MGH

With the recent onslaught of infectious illnesses that have affected the United States and countries abroad, a recent visit from the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the MGH was a welcomed one. Julie Gerberding, MD, who has been president of the CDC since 2002, spent the morning at the MGHJan. 29, speaking to clinicians at a Medical Grand Rounds, talking with staff from the MGH Infectious Disease Division and then meeting with Boston public health officials and local media. Gerberding spoke about a variety of infectious illnesses that the CDC has been closely monitoring — such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), certain strains of influenza and the bird flu that recently hit Asia.