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CDC Assists in Public Health Response for Tsunami Recovery 

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is mobilizing as part of the worldwide 

recovery effort to ease suffering caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake and the tsunami waves it 

triggered. The agency shares the concern for survivors and grief for lives lost felt around the world. CDC, 

in collaboration with many other governments, charities and businesses, is making every effort to provide 

assistance and expertise in support of those in the path of these disasters. 

Initial Response Goals: Assess Needs and Coordinate Efforts 

Hundreds of CDC employees volunteered to assist in the massive response to this crisis. Preliminary steps 

for CDC’s contribution to the relief effort, working with global partners in government, non-profit and 

private sectors were threefold: 

1. Assess the scope of the tragedy and determine an immediate plan of action. 

2. Organize staff, supplies and information to provide the greatest aid to people in need. 

3. Join with multiple agencies responding worldwide to coordinate the complex response effort. 

CDC employees already working in Thailand, India, and other affected areas responded immediately to 

assist in crisis recovery efforts. CDC programs for public health projects like polio eradication and 

HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment have long been operational in Asia and Africa; staff for these 

programs provided firsthand assessments of the destruction, injury and loss of life that were vital for 

planning the agency’s initial response. 

CDC has been asked to assist in the recovery on a wide range of topics within the agency’s areas of 

expertise. We are providing support, either directly or through providing critical information to those on 

the scene, in the following areas: 

• Survivor access to healthcare, safe food, clean water and shelter 

• Treatment of injury and infection 

• Prevention of disease and further injury 

• Mental health and mass trauma recovery 

• Recovery worker health and safety 

• Hazardous materials exposure 

• Laboratory research and assistance 

• Facilities assessments (hospitals, morgues, sewage and waste removal systems) 

Mental health of those directly affected by the crisis or responding as a part of the recovery is of great 

concern, given the unprecedented scope of the disaster. CDC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration (SAMHSA) are collaborating in a monumental interagency effort to support 

national responders and relief workers from other agencies in their humanitarian efforts. 

In Atlanta, CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding requested that the Director’s Emergency Operations Center 

coordinate the agency’s role with partners worldwide, including: 
CDC Assists in Public Health Response for Tsunami Recovery

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January 13, 2005 Page 2 of 2

• Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 

• Department of State 

• US Agency for International Development (USAID)

• Department of Defense (DOD) 

• US Pacific Command (PACOM) 

• World Health Organization (WHO) 

• United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

• Ministries of Health in the affected countries (primarily Thailand to date) 

• Red Cross/Red Crescent 

CDC is providing assistance to partners based on their evolving needs. The level of engagement with

partners is therefore subject to change as the response continues and new issues emerge. 

Next Steps: Deploy Mission-Critical Staff and Resources 

As of January 8, 2005, CDC is sending 28 seasoned staff members to assist with the response. 11 people 

have already arrived in areas most in need of assistance, while 17 more are en route. CDC team members 

are primarily senior scientists with demonstrated ability to cope under strenuous conditions and the 

experience to help make wise public health decisions. Deployments will most likely last 3-4 months, much 

longer than normal. Initial concerns CDC staff will address include:

• Vaccine-preventable diseases 

• Childhood injuries and trauma 

• Adult injury 

• Diarrheal disease control 

• Malaria control 

• Health and nutrition 

• Mental health 

• Stability of physical structures 

• Response coordination

CDC is making every effort to ease the stress of deployment for staff and their loved ones during this 

difficult time. The agency is creating special communications access for families of deployed staff. 

CDC Expects Participation to Continue, Evolve Over Time 

“We will be involved until we are no longer needed,” says Dr. Gerberding. “It is an unprecedented 

situation. It is very difficult to predict how it will evolve.”

As the crisis unfolds CDC will continue to provide assistance to those in need. The agency stands united 

with the rest of the world in our commitment to helping the survivors of this catastrophic event recover 

and resume their normal lives. 

For more information, visit www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/tsunamis, or call the CDC public response hotline

at 888-246-2675 (English), 888-246-2857 (español), or 866-874-2646 (TTY).