National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases
Name	National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases
Formation	2006
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Parent organization	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Contents

National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases is a component of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention located in Atlanta, Georgia that focuses on detection, prevention, and response to emerging and zoonotic infectious threats. The center works with partners including World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, and United States Department of Agriculture to conduct surveillance, laboratory science, and epidemiologic research. Its activities intersect with programs led by National Institutes of Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and public health agencies of United Kingdom, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa.

History

The center was established following coordination needs identified after outbreaks such as the SARS outbreak, the emergence of H5N1 and 2009 H1N1 pandemic, and experiences from responses to Ebola in West Africa and Zika. Its antecedents included units created after the 2001 anthrax attacks, and it built on capacity from collaborations with World Bank, United Nations Children's Fund, Médecins Sans Frontières, and national institutes such as the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Public Health England. Early leadership drew on scientists with ties to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Emory University School of Medicine.

The center's mission aligns with priorities articulated by World Health Assembly, Global Health Security Agenda, and agencies such as United States Department of Health and Human Services to prevent, detect, and control emerging and zoonotic infections. Functions include laboratory science performed in collaboration with Food and Drug Administration, epidemiology in partnership with National Institutes of Health investigators, and policy advising for stakeholders including the White House and legislative bodies like the United States Congress. The center supports training through programs modeled on curricula from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Programs include pathogen-specific initiatives for agents such as Ebolavirus, Marburg virus, Lassa fever, Nipah virus, MERS-CoV, and influenza strains tracked by the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System. Initiatives also include One Health projects linking United States Department of Agriculture and wildlife agencies like the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, vaccination and preparedness efforts with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and antimicrobial resistance programs coordinated with World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization. Training partnerships include collaborations with Peace Corps health programs and capacity building with ministries such as the Ministry of Health (Brazil) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India).

Research spans genomics, diagnostics, vaccine development, and modeling in collaboration with institutions like National Institutes of Health, Broad Institute, Scripps Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Surveillance systems are integrated with networks such as the Global Health Security Agenda, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, and the International Health Regulations (2005) reporting framework, and rely on laboratory methods shared with World Health Organization reference labs and partners like Institut Pasteur. Studies frequently cite methodologies developed in settings including University of Oxford, Karolinska Institutet, Imperial College London, and McMaster University.

The center coordinates outbreak response with domestic agencies including State governments in the United States, Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Emergency Management Agency, and with international responders such as World Health Organization incident management teams, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Field deployments have worked alongside teams from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and national ministries including Ministry of Health (Nigeria) and Ministry of Health (Sierra Leone). The center also engages with philanthropic partners like the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and private-sector firms including Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and diagnostics companies.

Funding streams include appropriations from United States Congress, grants and cooperative agreements with National Institutes of Health, awards from foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust, and contracts with private industry including collaborations with Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline. Accountability mechanisms involve audits by the United States Government Accountability Office and reviews aligned with standards set by Office of Management and Budget and reporting to stakeholders including United States Department of Health and Human Services and international partners such as the World Health Organization.