Final answer:
The CDC is the primary national public health institute in the United States, responsible for protecting public health by managing the NNDSS and compiling data into the MMWR to keep track of notifiable diseases.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the primary national public health agency in the United States. It is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services and is tasked with the critical role of protecting the public from disease and injury. One of the key functions of the CDC is to manage the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS), which monitors diseases that are considered to be of public health importance and must be reported to the CDC, known as notifiable or reportable diseases. This system helps in the collection and analysis of data regarding occurrences of infectious diseases from state and local health agencies, compiling this information into the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Notifiable diseases, such as HIV infection, measles, and West Nile virus infections, require physicians to report cases to the CDC. The CDC then uses this data to monitor trends and to help prevent and control outbreaks. The headquarters of the CDC is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and features state-of-the-art emergency management command and control centers.