National Centre for Disease Control

The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is India’s apex technical institution for preventing and controlling communicable diseases. Working under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it supports governments through surveillance, outbreak investigation, laboratory services, training and research.

Core public-health mandate

NCDC serves as a national centre of excellence for the control of communicable diseases and provides multidisciplinary scientific advice to the Union and state governments.

• It studies the distribution, causes and risk factors of communicable diseases to guide prevention and control measures.
• It investigates outbreaks and recommends measures for containment, including epidemiological and laboratory support.
• It undertakes applied research on established, emerging and re-emerging infections and develops technical guidance for public-health action.

Surveillance and outbreak response

NCDC houses the Central Surveillance Unit of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), which strengthens decentralized, laboratory-supported surveillance for epidemic-prone diseases.

• It analyses surveillance information to support the early detection of unusual disease trends and outbreaks.
• It coordinates technical assistance and rapid-response support when states report outbreaks.
• It strengthens links among epidemiological surveillance, laboratories and field investigation so that evidence can lead to timely control measures.

Laboratory support and capacity building

NCDC combines epidemiology with referral diagnostic services and workforce development, enabling public-health agencies to identify and respond to infectious threats.

• Its laboratories provide specialized diagnostic and reference support that may not be readily available at peripheral levels.
• It trains epidemiologists, microbiologists, entomologists and other health personnel in disease surveillance, investigation and control.
• It assists governments in developing technical standards, preparedness plans and institutional capacity for communicable-disease control.

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