I used to do this kind of work, nothing short of saying "Take me off the list" will end the calls. Don't blow a boat horn, don't cuss them out, don't argue poltics with then, just say the magic phrase. That's it. Poor [***] who do this kind of work don't have the power to change policy, arguing with them will have zero effect.
Anytime anyone asks for personal identification information, they are not legitimate. The new scam out there is to get information on children, so they can use it for Identity Theft. Kids don't have credit or check their credit bureau reports, and it takes a long time before they get to that point. So when they ask you for info on your kids, they can use that info to open up credit cards, bank accounts, etc for fraudulent activity and you won't discover the fraud for a long long time. DON'T EVER give out personal identification information to anyone, regardless of how "LEGITIMATE" they sound. The Federal Government is fully aware of Identity Theft, they are the ones who keep statistics on it, so they would know better than to call people up to ask for personal information.
Also, I see in the messages that someone gives a very credible sounding explanation of the calls and who to call to verify that they are really CDC.....well shame on anyone who answers personal questions over the PHONE to some stranger. There should be media attention on this if it was legit ...just like they did for the CENSUS. The government sent out mailings, let the public know via the media, etc and gave information on how to properly identify the census workers. It was all very public. These people are calling on the phone without any prior notice???? Come on! Anyone can claim to be legit on the phone.
Centers for Disease Control left a message asking if there are any children at my number and doing a survey for childhood immunizations... They have been calling for over a month. Persistant Persistant. This is the first time they actually have left a message. Normally I just let it ring. I think giving any information about the persons living in my home to a stranger over the phone is a security risk.