As the Zika virus continues to spread quickly through many countries in the Americas, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is accelerating its response to combat this health threat. At CDC’s request, the CDC Foundation has activated two funds: the U.S. Emergency Response Fund and the Global Disaster Response Fund. 

The CDC Foundation is partnering with GOJO to provide unbranded hand hygiene educational materials and tools for patients, healthcare providers and caregivers in U.S. healthcare facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and other ambulatory care locations. The goal of this initiative is to improve hand hygiene practices in these settings to help reduce the number of healthcare-associated infections.

The Board of Directors of the CDC Foundation named Judith A. Monroe, MD, FAAFP, as the new president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. Monroe joins the CDC Foundation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she leads the agency’s Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support.