Spotlight: Battling Zika at the Federal Level

The CDC elevated its response to the Zika outbreaks on Feb. 8. The CDC team is currently working with international partners as well as state and local health departments to:

• Keep healthcare providers up to date.
• Provide travel-related guidance.
• Run diagnostic tests and expand state health department capabilities to run those tests.
• Monitor the spread of Zika in the United States and other countries.
• Gather data to better understand the biology of Zika and related concerns such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

With more than 15,000 employees, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protects the health of the United States. In addition to its domestic responsibilities researching outbreaks and tracking diseases, the CDC also maintains a presence in almost 170 different countries and territories. Thus, the agency is able to respond quickly to health emergencies like Zika around the world.

In the U.S., we can be reassured that when an outbreak occurs, even if it is outside the U.S., the CDC is well positioned to gather information quickly and respond appropriately.