CDC creating disease forecasting center to gauge emerging threats

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this week that it will be establishing a new disease forecasting center designed to provide early warnings on outbreaks.

The new entity will be called the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics and will combine “next-generation public health data, expert disease modelers, public health emergency responders, and high-quality communications, to meet the needs of decision makers.”

“In establishing the center, CDC is addressing a critical need to improve the U.S. government’s ability to forecast and model emerging health threats, while building on existing modeling activities, expanding collaboration through interoperability, accessibility and increased emphasis on policy-maker decision support and communication to the public,” the agency said in a press release.

The center will initially be funded by money from the American Rescue Plan.

Its main objectives will be to predict outbreaks through modeling and forecasting, connect and expand data-sharing and improve avenues through which to communicate outbreak forecasts.

“This is an amazing opportunity for CDC and public health as we stand up the country’s first government-wide public health forecasting center,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. “We are excited to have the expertise and ability to model and forecast public health concerns and share information in real-time to activate governmental, private sector, and public actions in anticipation of threats both domestically and abroad.”