NICD ANNUAL ReVIEW
The NICD plays a vital role in the early detection, containment, and response to infectious disease threats across South Africa, the SADC, and Africa. It provides technical support to the National Department of Health (NDoH), as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other relevant bodies through the surveillance of communicable diseases, outbreak response, specialised diagnostic services, research and training, capacity building, and the various scientific outputs in terms of guidelines or publications.
Year 2023
The year under review was the declaration of enteric fever, measles, and cholera outbreaks while continuing to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic. These outbreaks have highlighted the fundamental role of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in tackling a public health crisis and the power of molecular epidemiology through next-generation sequencing to investigate the source of specific outbreaks.
South Africa faces several challenges in recovering from the impact of COVID-19, including infection control programmes. The world has been navigating the COVID-19 epidemic for over three years, and the NICD has made a significant contribution to South Africa’s response. The need for building a metanarrative around health and science’s essential role has been more evident than ever. The multiple self-reflection activities will guide the NICD in preparing for the next pandemic.
The organisation has had to adapt during the year under review; it has given life to the statement that“there is nothing permanent except change” when viewed through the lens of infectious diseases. Through our collective adaptability, we have survived the COVID-19 storm and recognise that adaptability is essential to success in a rapidly changing world.
Staff at the NICD continue to strive for excellence and improvements in public health, and we would like to thank them all for their hard work over the last year. The donors, partners and collaborators are acknowledged for contributing to the success of the NICD.
To download and view past publications, go to Archives.