International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh

International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
Name	International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
Type	Non-profit research institute
Established	1960
Location	Dhaka, Bangladesh
Fields	Public health, infectious disease, epidemiology, vaccinology

International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh is a national and international research institute based in Dhaka, Bangladesh focused on diarrhoeal disease, child health, and public health innovations. It conducts clinical trials, epidemiological surveillance, and implementation research that link to global health actors and donors across United Nations agencies, multinational research organizations, and academic institutions. The centre has influenced policies, vaccine deployment, and treatment protocols in South Asia, Africa, and other low- and middle-income regions.

History

Founded in 1960 in Dhaka as a field site that later evolved into a centre, the institute emerged amid postcolonial public health challenges and the influence of international actors such as the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and philanthropic foundations. During the 1970s and 1980s it expanded surveillance and clinical capacity, interacting with agencies like United Nations Children's Fund and research partners including Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, and Oxford University. The centre played a role during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War aftermath, responding to population displacement with partners such as International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières. In the 1990s and 2000s it consolidated vaccine and field trial experience, collaborating with organizations including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and PATH. The centre's institutional development has been influenced by national actors such as the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Bangladesh) and regional networks like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

Research Programs

Research programs span infectious disease surveillance, vaccine evaluation, nutritional research, and water, sanitation, and hygiene intervention trials. Programs have linked to global initiatives such as the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotavirus vaccine development, and cholera vaccine campaigns coordinated with International Vaccine Institute and WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization. Collaborations include academic partners like Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London, University of Oxford, and regional universities such as University of Dhaka and Jahangirnagar University. Methodological work connects to networks like the Global Health Security Agenda and surveillance platforms associated with Demographic and Health Surveys and the Global Enteric Multicenter Study consortium. Laboratory research engages technologies from entities including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and private sector partners such as PATH and diagnostic firms.

Clinical Services and Public Health Interventions

The centre operates clinics, inpatient wards, and outpatient services that provide care for diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition, and related conditions while serving as a site for randomized controlled trials approved by institutional review boards and ethical committees involving partners like National Institutes of Health and Wellcome Trust. It has piloted oral rehydration therapy protocols associated historically with World Health Organization guidelines and collaborated on oral cholera vaccine campaigns with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and national immunization programs. Outbreak response work has interfaced with agencies such as IFRC, World Food Programme, and UNICEF during emergencies including floods and cyclones that affected Bangladesh. The centre's clinical platforms support operational research for interventions promoted by UNICEF, WHO, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation programs.

Training, Capacity Building, and Education

Training programs include postgraduate training, short courses, and field epidemiology training linked with institutions such as Erasmus University Rotterdam, Sciences Po, Stanford University, and national medical colleges like Dhaka Medical College. Capacity building initiatives cover laboratory strengthening in collaboration with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and clinical trial capacity with partners such as London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The centre hosts visiting scholars from Karolinska Institutet, University of Toronto, McGill University, and coordinates with regional training networks affiliated with South Asian University and Asian Development Bank programs. Educational outreach engages with civil society groups and governmental agencies such as the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Bangladesh).

Governance, Funding, and Partnerships

Governance structures involve boards and advisory committees that include representatives from national institutions like Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Bangladesh), international funders including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and multilateral partners such as World Health Organization and UNICEF. Funding streams combine competitive grants from agencies like the National Institutes of Health and European Commission Horizon 2020 programs, philanthropic support from entities such as Rockefeller Foundation and operational grants from development banks like the Asian Development Bank. Partnerships extend to universities including Harvard University, Yale University, University of California, San Francisco, and industry collaborators for vaccine and diagnostic development. The centre engages in memoranda of understanding with national bodies like Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research and international consortia such as the Global Health Alliance.

Impact and Notable Contributions

The centre contributed to the global uptake of oral rehydration therapy, influencing policies promoted by World Health Organization and UNICEF. It has been central to rotavirus and cholera vaccine trials that informed recommendations by WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization and procurement decisions by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Its surveillance data have fed into global estimates used by Global Burden of Disease studies and informed responses coordinated with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization. Alumni and investigators have held positions at institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Oxford University, and ministries including Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Bangladesh). The centre's models for community-based management of acute malnutrition influenced programs supported by UNICEF and World Food Programme, and its outbreak research informed humanitarian responses by International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Category:Medical research institutes Category:Public health organizations in Bangladesh