History In 1946, the Communicable Disease Center (CDC) was opened in the old Office of Malaria Control in War Areas in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Its mission at the time was to work with state and local health officials in the fight against malaria, typhus and other communicable diseases. Through the 1960s, the CDC started to broaden its focus to include polio and then smallpox. Over time the CDC established closer working ties with the states throughout the U.S. The 1970s saw the name of the CDC change to the Center for Disease Control to better reflect its broader mission in preventive health. […]