For more than 50 years, as part of the National Institutes of Health, the mission of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID) has been to conduct and support basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and prevent
infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases with the ultimate goal of improving the health of individuals in the United States
and around the world.
In recent years, NIAID has responded to new challenges including emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, potential
bioterrorism threats, and an increase in pediatric asthma prevalence. A cornerstone of NIAID-supported research also continues
to be the discovery and improvement of vaccines focused on an array of infectious diseases with global public health importance.