Director’s report
This publication is the first annual report of the newly established NICD. The NICD is constituted from 2 predecessor institutions – the National Institute for Virology (NIV) for the virology component, and the public health microbiology laboratories of the South African Institute for Medical Research (SAIMR) for the microbiology component. During 2002 these two divisions of the NICD functioned independently of each other, largely as a result of the geographical separation – the microbiology laboratories were still housed in the ex-SAIMR headquarters in Braamfontein (near downtown Johannesburg) and had not yet moved physically to the NICD campus in Rietfontein (on the north-eastern outskirts of Johannesburg). Construction for the new laboratories to accommodate the microbiology division of the NICD is expected to commence in mid-2003. The establishment of a third division of the Institute, the Epidemiology division, is expected sometime in 2003 and this will then complete the envisaged structure of the NICD.
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This being the first annual report of the NICD it is as well to again record the mission and the responsibilities of the NICD:-
Essentially, the mission of the NICD is to be a resource of knowledge and expertise in regionally relevant communicable diseases to the South African Government, to SADC countries and to the African continent at large, in order to assist in the planning of policies and programmes and to support appropriate responses to communicable disease issues.
The responsibilities of the NICD can be broken down into six major categories. Firstly, it will function as the national organ for gathering data on communicable diseases, continuously, reac-tively in response to events such as outbreaks, and also proactively to anticipate outbreaks. To support this responsibility both active surveillance programmes as well as passive interrogation of existing databases will be utilized. Secondly, intelligence on communicable diseases will be communicated regularly, as well as urgently in crisis situations, to the Department of Health, relevant public health institutions and the medical and general public by means of publications and electronic media. Thirdly, in respect of outbreaks, the NICD will provide specialized consultancy services as well as laboratory support as and when needed by provincial and local authorities. Fourthly, the NICD will need to function as an academic facility on a national basis. In other words it will provide training in appropriate laboratory technology as well as epidemiology and surveillance, to all institutions of higher learning throughout the country. It will seek collaborations and affiliations to all South African universities for purposes of lecturing, training, study visits by graduate students as well as providing research opportunities to students from all the country’s universities. Fifthly, the NICD will aim to be a centre of scientific excellence in the field of communicable diseases by pursuing research programmes of a high international standard, and will also look to establish links with international organizations in this field. The orientation of research will, however, be geared to questions of public health relevance rather than, for example, those relating primarily to mechanisms of disease or clinical management of patients which belong more to the academic university departments of microbiology and virology. Lastly, the NICD will function as the national quality assurance body for the NHLS microbiology laboratories. It will also offer QA services to African countries and, if required, also to the private sector.
The NICD has inherited a long and very proud legacy of excellence in the field of public health communicable diseases from both of its predecessor organisations - the SAIMR and the NIV. The contents of this report will, I hope, clearly reflect how the present generation of scientists, pathologists and technologists have not only perpetuated this tradition, but have, in addition, greatly enhanced the international status of the Institute. As a major public health laboratory on the African continent, the NICD plays a key role globally as a strategic sentinel institution for the emergence of new infectious diseases. It has contributed very significantly in providing diagnostic laboratory support in assisting with outbreak control and in conducting training courses and capacity building for laboratories on the African continent.
The Institute has made important contributions to the research literature, in particular in addressing regional communicable diseases problems. With respect to HIV/AIDS, the most important communicable disease on the African continent, NICD is a major component of the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI) and also international programmes on HIV vaccine development such as the National Institute of Health HVTN (Vaccines trials network).
The Institute is well equipped with the most modern up-to-date technologies and infra-structural support. However, its most important asset is its human resources. The personnel of the Institute have shown exceptional dedication under conditions, which during 2002 were not always ideal. With this in mind I would like to take this opportunity of expressing my sincerest thanks for all the dedication, enthusiasm and loyalty of all our staff who have helped build this institution. I would also like to thank all those who contributed towards the production of this report - to Dr Peter Jupp for the photography and to Mrs Liz Millington for the typesetting and production.
The year 2003 will see a consolidation of the Institute, which will enable it to even more effectively meet its national and international obligations.
BARRY D SCHOUB
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR |
