We are an international health research institute based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Our research is addressing some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.
We aim to ensure that our evidence and experience is widely shared.
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Browse our press releases to find out the latest about icddr,b’s work.
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Today, icddr,b and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) jointly organized a dissemination seminar titled “Long-Term Sequelae of COVID-19: A Longitudinal Follow-Up Study in Dhaka, Bangladesh.” The seminar also presented a guideline titled “Long COVID Clinical Management Guideline for Physicians”. The findings, based on the first five months of participant follow-ups, were recently published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia.
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The recently established NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-communicable Diseases and Environmental Change was kicked-off today in Dhaka, Bangladesh at a dissemination seminar by the Non-Communicable Disease Control (NCDC) Program of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and icddr,b; in partnership with Imperial College London, UK; The George Institute for Global Health, India; Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research (India), and University of Brawijaya (Indonesia).
On 5 March 2023, icddr,b and UNICEF jointly organised a dissemination seminar to highlight the activities of the project titled “Emergency Healthcare (Acute Watery Diarrhoea-AWD preparedness and response) and Sentinel Cholera Surveillance in Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN) camps and host communities in Cox's Bazar.” The seminar was held at Long Beach Hotel, Cox’s Bazar and was attended by a diverse group of stakeholders, including government officials, development partners and NGOs.
The USAID funded Research for Decision Makers (RDM) activity, icddr,b and Data for Impact (D4I) organized a special session with health journalists, giving them a hands-on tour to the web-based platform https://cch.icddrb.org/ which provides a comprehensive resource for understanding the effects of climate change on health. This website serves as a one-stop resource for the latest data, research, and information on this important and rapidly evolving topic.
On 27 February 2023, under the leadership of the Communicable Disease Control (CDC) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Government of Bangladesh, and with support from the World Health Organization, icddr,b, and the Civil Surgeon Office of Noakhali, launched an oral cholera vaccination campaign in Bhasan Char, Noakhali. About 30,000 Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs), commonly referred to as Rohingyas, will be vaccinated through this campaign. Professor Dr Mohammad Nazmul Islam, Director of Disease Control and Line Director Disease Control Program, DGHS; and Dr Firdausi Qadri, Acting Senior Director of the Infectious Diseases Division of icddr,b, were present at the inauguration of the vaccination campaign. Dr Masum Iftekhar, District Civil Surgeon, Noakhali and representatives from CDC, DGHS; development partners, and icddr,b were also present at the event.
On 25 February 2023, the Honourable Minister of International Development of Canada Mr Harjit S. Sajjan visited icddr,b campus in Mohakhali, Dhaka, to witness the institution's life-saving work and its partnership with Canada for over four decades. He was accompanied by the Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, H.E. Ms Lilly Nicholls, and other members from Global Affairs Canada.
A recent multicountry study called Azithromycin Prophylaxis in Labor Use Study (A-PLUS) by the Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of which icddr,b is a partner, has found that a single dose of two-gram azithromycin antibiotic taken orally during vaginal delivery, commonly known as normal delivery, can significantly reduce the risk of maternal sepsis or death. Sepsis is a severe medical condition that occurs when the body responds excessively to an infection, which can result in multiple organ failures and death. The findings of the study have recently been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
On 13 February 2023, the Initiative for Climate Change and Health of icddr,b launched a highly anticipated climate change and health related web-based platform https://cch.icddrb.org/ with support from USAID’s Research for Decision Makers (RDM) activity. The website provides a comprehensive resource for understanding the effects of climate change on health and serves as a one-stop resource for the latest data, research, and information on this important and rapidly evolving topic.
The Dr Asma Islam Memorial Award was presented today to an exceptional employee of icddr,b Hospital. This award, presented annually since 2009, celebrates the dedication and hard work of employees at icddr,b and honours the memory of the late Dr Asma Islam.
Recently, a novel finding by icddr,b scientists, and partners published in the journal of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease have confirmed the transfer of humoral immunity against Nipah Virus (NiV) from mother to newborn baby for the first time.
The strength and longevity of the antibody response to COVID-19 depend on the severity of the symptoms experienced by the patient, according to a recent study conducted by icddr,b researchers and partners. The researchers conducted a longitudinal cohort study between November 2020 and August 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh and enrolled 100 adult patients with COVID-19 aged 18 and above.
