Contagion & CDC - Now on DVD
"Contagion," directed by Steven Soderbergh, follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, CDC and the worldwide health community race to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. Serious, deadly contagious disease outbreaks can emerge anywhere, at any time - right here or just a plane ride away. Thankfully, CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and domestic. CDC leads U.S. national health security, providing groundbreaking research and real-time emergency response that is critical to saving lives and protecting people from health threats, here and around the world - including disease outbreaks like the one in "Contagion." Learn more about how CDC saves lives by controlling REAL global disease outbreaks. Meet CDC's Anne Schuchat, a real-life virus hunter stopping deadly disease in its tracks. And, discover what keeps CDC disease detectives up at night.
If a deadly disease, like the one in the movie Contagion, goes viral, then CDC's Anne Schuchat is the woman you want on your side.
Rear Admiral Anne Schuchat, MD, is the assistant surgeon general, United States Public Health Service, and director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD).
She's part virus hunter, part disease detective, part scientist, part doctor and part emergency responder...with a dash of Hollywood.
Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet's character in the film Contagion is modeled after Schuchat and her real-life role as a disease detective at CDC. Winslet even spent time interviewing Schuchat to prepare for her role in the movie. Schuchat has worked at CDC since 1988 in the areas of immunization, respiratory and infectious disease. You will see her on the frontlines of disease emergency response. Her past work has included meningitis vaccine studies in West Africa, SARS emergency response in China, the prevention of infectious streptococcal disease in children and the 2009 H1N1 response. 
Watch Anne Schuchat, MD, in "H1N1 Lessons Learned"
Partnerships support CDC's work
The CDC Foundation’s Emergency Response Fund helps CDC respond to public health emergencies and, when needed, allows CDC experts on the frontlines of an emergency to immediately purchase the specialized equipment or services needed to get the job done. Learn more about how the Emergency Response Fund was activated during the H1N1 Flu outbreak.
How CDC saves lives by controlling REAL global disease outbreaks
What keeps disease detectives up at night?
Note: Photos of Anne Schuchat, MD, and the novel H1N1 influenza virus (above) are courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Contagion promotional images are courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.