High Marks for Health

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Most Americans say they knowwhat the Centers for Disease Control(CDC) and the National Institutes ofHealth (NIH) are responsible for, andgive the agencies high marks for theway they get the job done. A November2004 Harris Interactive survey on publicattitudes toward federal governmentagencies revealed that more than 80%of adults said they understand what theCDC does and 84% of respondentsrated the agency as "excellent/prettygood." Among those surveyed, 71%gave the NIH high marks. The FDAwas in fourth place, with 65% givingthe agency good ratings. While the ratingsfor CDC and NIH were still highcompared with other government agencies,ratings for both have dipped sincethe 2003 poll. About 96% ofAmericans understand what the IRSdoes and 54% give it a positive rating.