Division of Global Health Protection (DGHP) Fact Sheet
Protecting the health and safety of Americans and people around the world 24/7
Dr. Amy Boore, Division of Global Health Protection Program Director, CDC Uganda (center) helps coordinate surveillance activities with partners in Mubende District, Uganda in the first week of the Ebola response to gather critical surveillance data and create a unified approach. Photo: CDC Uganda
To ensure global health security, every country needs a robust public health system that can rapidly respond to emergencies. In today’s interconnected world, diseases can spread faster and farther than ever, and two out of three countries are not prepared to manage a major disease outbreak. Public health threats can strain systems, result in loss of life, and affect economies — including the U.S. — through soaring health care costs, lost business, and international trade disruptions.
We work with public health experts across CDC and around the world to help countries strengthen their public health infrastructure so countries can stop outbreaks at the source before they become regional, national, or international problems.
DGHP leads the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) implementation of global health security (GHS) activities, helping countries strengthen health systems, build outbreak response capacity, and meet international standards. Our goal is to advance research and develop innovative solutions to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and other public health threats. Working with CDC experts across the agency and partners in over 30 countries, we focus on strengthening country capabilities in four essential areas:
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Train frontline staff to identify, track, and contain outbreaks
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE
Coordinate effective response activities when crises occur
SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS
Quickly detect any outbreaks before they spread
LABORATORY NETWORKS
Accurately diagnose diseases and identify new pathogens
MediPIET fellow Dr. Arayik Papoyan screening Armenian repatriation flight from Italy, March 2020. Photo: Tephinet
DGHP’s staff, with decades of experience responding to disease threats and outbreaks, enhance global health security through crucial programs and activities that:
- Build global workforce capacity through programs such as the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP)
- Detect and respond to disease outbreaks through evidence-based surveillance by the Global Disease Detection Operations Center (GDDOC) and rapidly respond to emergencies through the Global Rapid Response Team (GRRT).
- Respond to and support the recovery of health systems through humanitarian health experts’ technical assistance.
- Assess and work to reduce the burden of disease including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and other noncommunicable diseases.
- Support transparent, rigorous assessments of GHS capacities through established processes such as Joint External Evaluations (JEE) to identify gaps and propose priority actions to help countries close gaps and meet the International Health Regulations and Global Health Security Agenda goals.
- Develop National Public Health Institutes (NPHI) that provide a foundation for local public health expertise and action, generating evidence to inform policy, efficient use of limited resources, and accountability.
- Gather, analyze, publish, and use relevant information through surveys, data sharing, and other initiatives to inform policy and program decisions.
DGHP remains committed to helping countries create resilient public health systems that are ready to respond to health threats. Our investments in global health security protect Americans and people worldwide and are critical to help countries progress toward preventing, detecting, and rapidly responding to emerging disease threats. Through sustained collaborations and continued investments from multiple partners, we will continue to improve global health security and ensure a safer and healthier world for all.