The CDC's disease prevention efforts include educating the public on how to recognize and avoid contracting common infectious diseases, such as the flu and strep throat.
DISASTERS Hurricane Katrina approaches landfall on the Gulf coast. Very little on land or water was spared by the storm when it struck in 2005. (Image from NOAA) Hurricane Katrina caused devastating personal, social, economic, and cultural losses. This image shows homes destroyed by the storm in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. (Image from
Scientists Study Hurricanes of the Future. News story originally written on October 8, 2008. The Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea are often in the path of hurricanes. These violent storms are hazards for people living near the coast in this region because of the wind, the waves, and especially the storm surge. Drilling platforms, refineries, and pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico are vulnerable to severe weather too.