CDC API: Get disease facts
Gets CDC facts about a disease by name, including symptoms, how it spreads, prevention, treatment and higher-risk groups when covered. A review date is returned only when CDC labels one.
Unofficial. Not affiliated with or endorsed by CDC.
Inputs
Values from the run on Oct 31, 2026, shown under Output.
- Disease, required
disease Disease name in plain words, for example, measles or Lyme disease.
measles
Input as JSON
{ "disease": "measles"}Output
{ "overview": "Some people think of measles as just a little rash and fever that clear up in a few days. But measles can cause serious health complications, especially in children younger than 5 years old. Measles is highly contagious. If one person has it, up to 9 out of 10 people who come into close contact with…", "symptoms": "Measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus. Common measles symptoms include: High fever (may spike to more than 104° F) Cough Runny nose (coryza) Red, watery eyes ( conjunctivitis or pink eye ) Rash Complications Measles can cause serious health complications, especially in ch…", "treatment": "There is no specific antiviral therapy that is Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for treatment of measles. Medical care is generally supportive and helps to relieve symptoms. Complications such as pneumonia and secondary bacterial infections should be promptly managed under the supervision…", "prevention": "Protect yourself with the vaccine . The best way to protect against measles is with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. MMR is safe and effective – serious reactions are extremely rare. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97% effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93% effective…", "disease_name": "Measles", "how_it_spreads": "Measles is very contagious. It spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been. This can happen even up to 2 hours after that person has left.", "main_page_link": "https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/index.html" , "who_is_at_higher_risk": "Anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk. Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000. However, since early 2025, U.S. measles cases have been increasing, and we've had several large outbreaks of more than 50 cases. Measles is also still common in many parts of the w…", "page_last_reviewed_date": null}Code
curl https://api.fous.com/v1/runs \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"method":"cdc.gov/get_disease_facts","input":{"disease":"measles"}}' # Save as fous.py, then run: python3 fous.pyimport json, os, timefrom urllib.error import HTTPErrorfrom urllib.request import Request, urlopenAPI = "https://api.fous.com/v1/runs" KEY = os.environ["FOUS_API_KEY"]HEADERS = { "Authorization": f"Bearer {KEY}", "Content-Type": "application/json" ,}def call(url, body=None): data = json.dumps(body).encode() if body else None request = Request(url, data, HEADERS) try: with urlopen(request, timeout=120) as r: return r.status, json.load(r) except HTTPError as error: message = json.load(error)["error"]["message"] raise RuntimeError(message) from errorstatus, run = call(API, { "method": "cdc.gov/get_disease_facts" , "input": { "disease": "measles" }})# 202: still going after 30 s. Ask again until it ends.while status == 202: time.sleep(2) status, run = call(f"{API}/{run['id']}")print(json.dumps(run["data"], indent=2))// Save as fous.mjs, then run: node fous.mjsconst api = "https://api.fous.com/v1/runs" ;const headers = { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.FOUS_API_KEY}`, "Content-Type": "application/json" ,};let response = await fetch(api, { method: "POST", headers, body: JSON.stringify({ "method": "cdc.gov/get_disease_facts" , "input": { "disease": "measles" } }), signal: AbortSignal.timeout(120_000),});let run = await response.json();// 202: still going after 30 s. Ask again until it ends.while (response.status === 202) { await new Promise((done) => setTimeout(done, 2_000)); response = await fetch(`${api}/${run.id}`, { headers }); run = await response.json();}if (!response.ok) throw new Error(run.error.message);console.log(run.data);# Connect your agent to Fous once, over MCP (Streamable HTTP):# https://api.fous.com/mcp# Set FOUS_API_KEY first: create a key at https://app.fous.com/keys.# Claude Codeclaude mcp add \ --scope user \ --transport http fous https://api.fous.com/mcp \ --header "Authorization: Bearer ${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY to your Fous API key}"# Codexcodex mcp add fous \ --url https://api.fous.com/mcp \ --bearer-token-env-var FOUS_API_KEY# Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Cline and morenpx -y add-mcp https://api.fous.com/mcp -g -n fous \ --header "Authorization: Bearer ${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY to your Fous API key}"# Then ask your agent:# "Use Fous to run cdc.gov/get_disease_facts# with {"disease":"measles"}"Over HTTP, the answer’s data holds the output. A run still going after 30 seconds answers 202 with its id: ask GET /v1/runs/{id} until it ends.
Schema
Input schema
{ "type": "object", "required": [ "disease" ], "properties": { "disease": { "type": "string", "minLength": 1, "description": "Disease name in plain words, for example, measles or Lyme disease." } }}Output schema
{ "type": "object", "required": [ "disease_name", "overview", "symptoms", "how_it_spreads", "prevention", "treatment", "who_is_at_higher_risk", "page_last_reviewed_date", "main_page_link" ], "properties": { "overview": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "What the disease is." }, "symptoms": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "Signs and symptoms." }, "treatment": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "Treatment information." }, "prevention": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "How to prevent it." }, "disease_name": { "type": "string", "description": "The disease name used by CDC." }, "how_it_spreads": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "How it spreads or is acquired." }, "main_page_link": { "type": "string", "description": "The CDC disease facts page." }, "who_is_at_higher_risk": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "People at higher risk when identified by CDC." }, "page_last_reviewed_date": { "type": [ "string", "null" ], "description": "Explicitly labeled review date in YYYY-MM-DD, if shown." } }, "additionalProperties": false}- Price
- 1 credit per completed run (1¢ with pay as you go); failed runs are free.
- Method
cdc.gov/get_disease_facts- Returns
- disease name, overview, symptoms, how it spreads, prevention, treatment, higher-risk groups, review date, CDC page link
Use it from your agent
Give your agent this line. It reads SKILL.md, gets a Fous API key and connects the Fous MCP server. Its run then takes the method cdc.gov/get_disease_facts with the inputs above.
Ask your agent
- What does the CDC say about measles symptoms and how it spreads?
- Look up dengue fever: who's most at risk, how to prevent it, and what treatment looks like
- I need official facts on Lyme disease, including symptoms and prevention tips, with a link to the source page
- How is hepatitis A transmitted and who's at higher risk? Pull the info from cdc.gov
- Give me an overview of whooping cough with symptoms, treatment, and when the info was last reviewed
See more
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medlineplus.gov/get_health_topic