Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases

DVRD maximizes public health and safety nationally and internationally through the diagnosis, prevention, and control of disease, disability, and death caused by suspected and known zoonotic viral, rickettsial, prion, and related infections. In carrying out its mission, DVRD:

1. Conducts surveillance, investigations, and studies of viral and rickettsial diseases, including bioterrorism agents, as well as of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases, and severe diseases of unknown, but suspected infectious, etiology to define their etiology and epidemiology, and to develop effective methods for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and control;
2. conducts or participates in clinical, field, and laboratory research to develop, evaluate, and improve laboratory methods, materials, and therapeutic practices used for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and control of viral, rickettsial, and prion diseases, including bioterrorism agents;
3. conducts research on virus transmission to develop effective prevention and control strategies and on vaccine effectiveness to assess prevention potential;
4. conducts laboratory, clinical, and epidemiologic studies of highly hazardous disease agents that require biosafety level 3 or biosafety level 4 security for their safe handling;
5. conducts ecological studies to develop and evaluate disease prevention and control measures;
6. provides epidemic aid, epidemiologic consultation, reference and diagnostic services, and technical assistance to state and local health departments, other federal agencies, and national and international health organizations;
7. provides scientific and technical assistance to other CDC components when the work requires unique expertise or specialized equipment not available in other components;
8. provides routine and specialized laboratory training in the diagnosis, isolation, and characterization of viral and rickettsial agents to personnel from state and local health departments and other national and international organizations;
9. provides training opportunities for EIS officers and others in CDC sponsored programs, including postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and other public health and laboratory scientists;
10. provides expert pathological support for various infectious diseases to other groups at CDC, state and local health departments, other CCID components, and national and international organizations; and
11. serves as appropriately designated national and WHO Collaborating Centers for viral and rickettsial diseases.