CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) works to save lives by preventing, detecting early and controlling infectious disease threats. It was established in 2010, but its mission and science trace back to CDC's earliest days. Its remit runs from rare but deadly diseases such as anthrax and Ebola to more common problems such as foodborne illness and infections acquired in health care.

Key terms

• Infectious diseases are illnesses caused by germs — bacteria, viruses and fungi — that enter the body and multiply. They can spread between people, between people and animals, through vectors such as biting insects, and through food, water and the environment.
• Emerging infections are those that have recently increased or threaten to: completely new diseases, diseases new to an area, diseases reappearing in an area, or diseases caused by germs that have become resistant to antibiotics.
• Zoonotic diseases spread between animals and people — for example Lyme disease, Salmonella and rabies.

Why it matters

Infectious diseases can spread quickly and quietly before an outbreak is noticed. NCEZID works to detect outbreaks sooner to limit their spread, whether they involve common germs such as Salmonella and Staphylococcus or emerging threats such as Marburg virus disease, monkeypox and drug-resistant fungal infections. Outbreaks cost money and lives, so preventing them is among the center's most important roles.

What it does

NCEZID provides public health leadership, conducts science, strengthens preparedness, sets public health policy, shares health information and builds partnerships. It works to build capacity and readiness against:

• foodborne, waterborne and fungal diseases;
• antimicrobial-resistant infections;
• infections spread in health care settings;
• deadly diseases such as Ebola, rabies and anthrax;
• illnesses affecting immigrants, migrants, refugees and travelers;
• diseases spread by mosquitoes, ticks and fleas;
• parasitic infections such as malaria;
• diseases that pass between people, animals and their environments;
• diseases new to the United States, such as Zika and monkeypox.

It also drives innovations such as wastewater surveillance, genomic sequencing of travelers' samples and advanced molecular detection, and contributes to developing better vaccines, drugs and diagnostic tools.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "About the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases."