HEALTH-FOCUSED 112 YEARS

Set up in 1909 as Central Malaria Bureau in Kasauli with Rickard Christophers as the first director

After a series of name changes, it was christened the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in 1963 and more recently, the National Centre for Disease Control

Headquartered in Delhi, it has 8 state branches Employee strength, 1,000-plus; infrastructure includes a network of high-tech labs

In 1965, it established a unit for testing of the smallpox vaccine; polio vaccine unit started in 1968; a new culture medium developed to diagnose acute cases of cholera within six hours in 1972

Discovered zoonotic focus of human malaria in Greater Nicobar in 1973

Conducts India Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Programme in collaboration with Us-based CDC to train public health professionals in epidemiologic service

During Covid-19, it developed the national surveillance strategy, technical documents, SOPS and provided support for diagnosis and epidemiological intelligence at various levels