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Dear CDC, You Really Suck at This
The CDC must get better at communicating risk to the public
The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) is having a bit of an existentialist crisis. The CDC’s job has always been “control” and “prevention” of infectious diseases. Their mission statement is “to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S.”
Yeah, sorry. That isn’t cutting it anymore. In this fast-paced Internet age where everyone “does their own research,” the job of the CDC should now be control, prevention, AND communication. Yet, nowhere in their mission statement or pledge does the verb “communicate” occur.
Perhaps that is why the CDC is really sucking at communicating to the public. They haven’t exactly prioritized it.
I don’t admire them. They have a Herculean task ahead. The public never had much faith in the CDC at the start of this pandemic.
Now, it is worse.
Ever notice that Americans have such unreasonable expectations of public health officials but not private healthcare? If your doctor finds a tumor, you don’t expect her to know exactly where it is, how advanced it is, or how you got it…at that moment. You expect tests will follow and much uncertainty. You expect treatment to change depending…
