The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it is deactivating its emergency operations center for Zika. Photo by mycteria-shutterstock

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it is deactivating its Emergency Operations Center today for the Zika virus.

The CDC activated its EOC on Jan. 22, 2016, in response to the effects of the Zika virus infection during pregnancy.


The EOC is the command center for monitoring and coordinating emergency response to public health threats and has been activated for previous events such as natural disasters, the 2014 Ebola outbreak and 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic.

Experts from the Zika Coordination and Operation Transition Team, or ZCOTT, will lead the transition from the EOC activation to routine, long-term activities to ensure coordination and collaboration on scientific, communication and policy activities.

Zika is still a threat to public health in the United States and around the world, and a great risk for pregnant women. The continental United States and Hawaii will continue to find some travel-related cases as people visit countries and territories with a high risk of Zika transmission.

Since the 2016 EOC activation for Zika, experts have worked to protect pregnant women, fetuses and infants from the virus and its effects.

According to the CDC, deactivation does not mean the Zika threat is less of a priority or that people are no longer at risk for infection.

The CDC still recommends that pregnant women avoid traveling to areas with high Zika risk.