Global Concerns In 1958, scientists at the CDC made their first trip overseas. A team went to Southeast Asia to respond to an epidemic of smallpox and cholera. Since then, the CDC has been active throughout the world, following infectious [diseases] such as smallpox, polio, tuberculosis, AIDS, and SARS. How does this final paragraph about the CDC connect to the main case study? It explains why the CDC stopped focusing on the United States only. It gives more information about how the CDC became involved in Southeast Asia. It explains how the CDC responds to new infectious diseases.