Tom Frieden Quotes

Thanks to malaria elimination efforts in United States in the 1940s, most people in the U.S. today have never had any direct contact with the disease, and most doctors have never seen a case. That success means it's easy to have a relaxed attitude about protecting ourselves.

~ Tom Frieden

The United States has made remarkable progress in reducing both teen pregnancy and racial and ethnic differences, but the reality is, too many American teens are still having babies.

~ Tom Frieden

Too many U.S. adults have a heart age years older than their real age, increasing their risk of heart disease and stroke. Everybody deserves to be young - or at least not old - at heart.

~ Tom Frieden

Pregnant women who are in places where Zika is spreading should do everything they can to avoid mosquito bites. And we, as a society, need to do everything we can to control Zika. That means learning more about it; that means controlling mosquitoes more effectively. That means achieving a vaccine.

~ Tom Frieden

I loved clinical practice, but in public health, you can impact more than one person at a time. The whole society is your patient.

~ Tom Frieden

Our progress against malaria is impressive. But vigilance remains a critical ingredient to protect the health of all people.

~ Tom Frieden

Health is correlated with quality of life. If you get regular physical activity, have social connections, control your cholesterol, keep your blood pressure at a normal level, don't smoke - these things can make an enormous difference not only in how long you live, but how much you enjoy your life in those years.

~ Tom Frieden

The way we work in public health is, we make the best recommendations and decisions based on the best available data.

~ Tom Frieden

Between 2000 and 2010, malaria mortality rates fell by 26 percent around the world. According to the latest World Health Organization estimates, there were about 219 million cases of malaria in 2010 and an estimated 660,000 deaths.

~ Tom Frieden

The bottom line is, if you're pregnant, don't travel to an area where Zika is spreading.

~ Tom Frieden

The first case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States has caused some to call on the United States to ban travel for anyone from the countries in West Africa facing the worst of the Ebola epidemic. That response is understandable. It's only human to want to protect ourselves and our families.

~ Tom Frieden