From its inception in 1983 the Division has performed extensive research on defining the problems and developing solutions to hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections. This involved surveys in nationwide samples of U.S. hospitals studied in the Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control (SENIC Project). The results of this research has contributed to the scientific basis for using targeted surveillance techniques to reduce nosocomial infection risks in hospitals.
Starting in the early 1990s the Division has conducted a large study to define the modes of transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV), which has become the largest chronic viral disease epidemic in U.S. history. The study has confirmed the causal role of injection drug use and defined the importance of HCV transmission in commercial tattoo parlors and to healthcare workers in hospitals.
Immediately after September 11, 2001, the Division focused research efforts on developing effective responses to bioterrorist attacks with microbiological agents such as anthrax, smallpox, plague and botulinum toxin. This is has led to coordinated planning for basic research in combating biowarfare pathogens, training physicians on recognition and treatment, and educating the public on responding effectively to bioterrorism attacks.
