The Centre for Enteric Diseases (CED) focuses on the surveillance of pathogens associated with diarrhoea and enteric fevers, and actively assists with the investigation and response to enteric disease outbreaks (including food- and water-borne disease outbreaks). The CED also provides specialised reference laboratory testing for enteric bacteria and viruses, including potential causes of food- and water-borne outbreaks.
Continue reading →Ensuring quality and safety in healthcare in South Africa. The Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) is an independent body established in terms of the National Health Amendment Act of 2013 to ensure that both public and private health establishments in South Africa comply with the required health standards.
Continue reading →The Centre for Healthcare-Associated Infections, Antimicrobial Resistance and Mycoses (CHARM) was established in April 2017. CHARM hosts two national reference laboratories and is supported by an epidemiology section. The centre was designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for AMR (WHO SOA-43) in June 2017.
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are among the commonest complications of hospital admission, are costly for the patient and the overall healthcare system, and may lead to patient deaths. This is an important new focus area for the centre. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is estimated to be associated with over 700 000 deaths every year, a number which could rise as high as 10 million in 2050.
Continue reading →Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including those caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) types 1 and 2, remain a major public health problem in Africa. Published estimates of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS show that South Africa has the highest burden of HIV infections with recent estimates of 7.7 million people living with HIV.
The Centre for HIV and STIs (CHIVSTI) has a strong track record in the research disciplines of HIV virology, HIV immunology, HIV/STI epidemiology, HIV/STI diagnostics and HIV-STI interactions.
Continue reading →The Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis (CRDM) is a resource of surveillance, diagnostics, expertise and research in the field of communicable respiratory diseases and meningitis for South Africa and the African continent.
The centre generates data and provides expertise related to respiratory diseases and meningitis of public health importance to the South African National Department of Health, health care providers, regional and international collaborators, to assist with the planning of public health policies and programmes, and response to respiratory disease and meningitis outbreaks. CRDM is also a source of capacity building and formal training within South Africa and the African region.
Continue reading →The Centre for Tuberculosis (CTB) was established in 2012. It was formerly known as the National TB Reference laboratory which was incorporated into the CTB with broader functions. In line with the mandate of the NICD, the CTB conducts laboratory-based public health surveillance of TB in South Africa. It continues to serve as a National TB reference laboratory (NTBRL) and was endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a supranational reference laboratory in 2016.
Continue reading →The Centre for Vaccines and Immunology (CVI) was established in 2012, to provide laboratory and epidemiological support to the National Department of Health. The centre serves as the National Surveillance Laboratory and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Reference Laboratory for acute flaccid paralysis as well as measles and rubella surveillance. This includes receiving and testing samples from all nine provinces in South Africa. In addition to testing samples from the Southern block countries: AngolBotswanLesotho, NamibiMadagascar, Mozambique, Malawi, ZambiZimbabwe and Swaziland, the centre also conducts other virological and immunological research projects on tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Continue reading →Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) is an independent, transdisciplinary scientific research institute based across two campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in South Africa.
AHRI’s research combines population, basic and translational, social, and clinical sciences to understand and intervene in the health and well-being of South African communities.
AHRI works in partnership with local communities and South African academic, governmental, and other policy stakeholders and collaborates with over 60 institutions globally. AHRI prioritises the training of the next generation of African scientists.
Continue reading →The Ophthalmological Society of South Africa promotes the interests of ophthalmology in general and of its members in particular.
OSSA remains committed to a vision of attainable, best quality vision for all.
The society has a number of core functions and aims to support members whilst engaging with all stakeholders in eye care to provide patient driven care in the field of ophthalmology.
The goal of the National Animal Health Forum is public private partnerships to improve veterinary services and the compliance with animal health standards.
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