Activities:
The NICD was the lead test agency for all of the suspected anthrax-related incidents that swept through India in late October 2001. All tests done by the institute showed that the incidents were hoaxes.

The institute carries out field studies on the taxonomy, biology, ecology, dynamics of disease transmission, and control measures of vector borne diseases. It develops new tools, techniques, methodologies aimed at early detection/improvement of diagnosis and epidemiological assessment of infections in the community. It carries out in-depth operational research including development of modern molecular biology and biotechnology tools to define the epidemiological concepts viz., prevalence, "endemicity" level, spread and prevention of communicable diseases, and to provide research support to the ongoing disease control programs in the country. It undertakes laboratory and field evaluation of newer biocides/insecticides/drugs and equipment used or intended to be used in vector/disease control practices. Specialized operational research is undertaken in the field of bacteriology, virology, molecular biology, biotechnology, immunology, mycology, parasitology, and helminthology with an aim to improve the diagnosis of disease of public health importance and giving laboratory support to the investigation and control of disease outbreaks. The important diseases include cholera, poliomyelitis, measles, diphtheria, meningitis, tetanus, hepatitis, AIDS, rubella, rabies, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, Kala-azar (leishmaniasis), Guinea worm, malaria, filariasis and some non-communicable diseases such as iodine deficiency disorders, environmental pollution, apo-B gene polymorphism in primary hyperlipidemia, and disaster management.

The institute provides support to various national health programs and disease surveillance activities through expert advice and operational activities. It also advises the government on various issues related to the communicable diseases in the country and their control. It supplies scientific and biological material to medical organizations for the promotion of knowledge on communicable diseases and their control. It supplies biological control agents to state governments, local bodies, defense services and other organizations for instituting biological control of mosquito vectors. The institute undertakes bio-efficacy tests of newer insecticides and their formulations from different industries/institutions to meet the requirements of Central Insecticide Board. It undertakes quality control of cold chain systems by carrying out potency testing of field samples of oral polio vaccine and measles vaccine. It undertakes national external quality assurance programs in HIV & rabies testing, among others. The institute provides referral diagnostic services for various communicable diseases, some of which are ordinarily not available in hospitals and medical colleges. These include diagnosis of poliomyelitis, measles, Coxsackie virus, and other enteroviruses, as well as the TORCH group of organisms, viral hepatitis, meningitis, diphtheria, acute respiratory infections, cholera and newer enteropathogens, mycotic diseases, AIDS, rabies, Kala-azar, brucellosis, rickettsial diseases, leptospirosis, hydatidosis, arboviral infections, plague, and anthrax. The institute updates and institutes modern technologies and molecular methods for detection and surveillance of epidemic prone diseases.

It maintains reference laboratories on major diseases, such as polio, AIDS, rabies, filariasis, Guinea worm, and yaws. It also acts as a nodal point for testing and formulation of control strategies on a pilot scale before wider application. It is involved in the planning, guiding, and evaluation of the National Disease Surveillance Program and Yaws Eradication Program, and also supports the Global Polio Eradication Program. The institute provides library facilities, supplying scientific bibliographies, reprints of research papers, and so on to meet the needs of scientific workers pursuing research on communicable diseases in the country.

Key Sources: National Institute of Communicable Diseases, <http://www.nicd.org/>.

	Updated September 2003