At a glance
In 2024, CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) reinforced its role as a leader in public health, tackling complex challenges both domestically and globally. From responding to viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks to enhancing wastewater surveillance and supporting local health departments through the ELC program, CDC's work in NCEZID demonstrates our commitment to protecting health, preventing disease, and preparing for the future. These accomplishments underscore the impact of collaboration, innovation, and scientific expertise in advancing public health outcomes.
NCEZID by the numbers
- 2 national responses to viral hemorrhagic fever virus outbreaks
- 11 cases of a new antimicrobial-resistant fungal skin infection
- 12 epi-aids and lab-aids sending scientists to assist health departments
- 20 port health stations preventing illnesses
- 160 multistate enteric illness from food, animal or travel spread
- 1,565 wastewater sites monitoring pathogens
- $251 million awarded to 65 state and local health departments through Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) grant
From Rwanda to Iowa: A unified front against deadly viruses
CDC's disease detectives tackled two significant hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in 2024: Rwanda's first Marburg outbreak and a response to prevent Lassa fever transmission in Iowa. Within 72 hours of the report from Rwanda, CDC deployed three senior scientists with experience from responding to outbreaks of Marburg virus disease and similar diseases in other countries to support epidemiology, contact tracing, laboratory testing, disease detection and control along borders and hospital infection prevention and control. In country, 14 CDC-trained field epidemiologists from the Field Epidemiology Training Program played a critical role in containing the outbreak. In the United States, more than 40 CDC staff deployed to 3 U.S. airports alongside the Department of Homeland Security to screen passengers arriving from Rwanda, showcasing the impact of CDC's global health security efforts in stopping outbreaks at their source.
CDC deployed a 7-person team to Iowa after confirming a case of Lassa fever in an individual who returned to the United States from West Africa. The team, working alongside the Iowa and Nebraska Departments of Health, traced all of his contacts and prevented any additional cases.
Dermatology meets epidemiology: A new era in infection reporting
CDC experts collaborated with partners in New York to determine how patients were exposed, treated, and the genomic epidemiology of the first reported U.S patients with Trichophyton indotineae (T. indotineae), a type of emerging antimicrobial-resistant ringworm.CDC also worked with the American Academy of Dermatology to develop a registry for doctors to report antimicrobial-resistant dermatophyte infections.
From American Samoa to Alaska: Unraveling complex infectious mysteries
In May, CDC diseases detectives aided the American Samoa Department of Health in investigating the status of lymphatic filariasis, mosquito-borne infection that can lead to devastating chronic complications if left untreated, spread in American Samoa.
In June, CDC diseases detectives assisted the Alaska Department of Health in identifying potential small mammal reservoirs of borealpox virus, formerly known as Alaskapox, in Southcentral Alaska after an elderly man died of the infection.
Emergency airlift: Delivering hope amidst a botulism outbreak
In June, CDC's Los Angeles and San Francisco Port Health Stations teamed up with botulism experts to save eight patients affected by botulism from tainted cactus salad. Partnering with California Highway Patrol Helicopter Units, they delivered life-saving antitoxin to hospitals within three hours, preventing fatalities and further spread.
Connecting the dots: How CDC fights foodborne illnesses across states
With over 10 million foodborne illnesses annually, CDC took swift action to address more than 160 multistate outbreaks in 2024, linked to diverse foods like basil, Boar's Head deli meat, and McDonald's quarter pounders. Through patient interviews and cutting-edge whole genome sequencing, CDC connected cases across states, rapidly identifying sources and halting the spread of foodborne diseases.
Beneath the surface: The power of wastewater surveillance for public health
In 2024, CDC's wastewater surveillance expanded to monitor Influenza A, Avian Influenza A(H5), and RSV, alongside COVID-19 and mpox. Nearly half of the U.S. population is covered by CDC's wastewater surveillance and more than 1500 sites reported sampling in the last two months. Data published in MMWR showed that during the spring and summer, high influenza A virus levels were detected in wastewater in four states, including three states with seasonal human influenza virus activity noted during this time. The H5 subtype was detected in wastewater in nine states; follow-up investigations in many of these states revealed likely animal-related sources, including those related to milk processing. Early work to interpret influenza A virus and H5 subtype detections in wastewater can help with public health preparedness and response for the respiratory illness season.
From data to action: Enhancing outbreak response with ELC support
With support from CDC's Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) program, Alabama's Infectious Diseases and Outbreaks Division conducted surveillance for more than 85 nationally notifiable conditions and responded to emerging health threats. ELC funding, covering 7.5 of 9 epidemiologist positions, enabled faster case identification, efficient resource use, and advanced data tools, significantly boosting the state's outbreak response capabilities. Prior to 2020, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene had a bioinformatics team of 2, but with ELC funding they were able to hire two additional, full time bioinformaticians. Expanding its bioinformatics team gave Wisconsin the personnel capacity necessary to increase their next-generation sequencing work to include Streptococcus pneumoniae and Candida auris.