[3] NCIRD supports and supervises state and local agencies working on immunization activities and commercial contracting for vaccine supply and distribution.

NCIRD supports a national framework for surveillance of diseases for which immunizing agents are increasingly becoming available from commercial pharmaceutical companies, and assists health departments in developing vaccine information management systems to facilitate identification of children whose parents may have not complied with local vaccination laws.

The new center will support both domestic and global immunization and respiratory disease prevention and control priorities, and will link epidemiology and laboratory science around vaccine-preventable diseases and acute respiratory infections with prevention and control programs and strong communication science.

At the time, NCIRD was led by Anne Schuchat, MD, who earlier had been the director of the NIP since December 2005.

High visibility NIP activities have been retained, including its support for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and Vaccines for Children Program.