A. Outbreak Investigations

• To assist the States, when required, in the investigation of outbreaks of epidemic-prone diseases. (No timeline can be fixed)
• Surveillance of epidemic-prone diseases through State/District Surveillance Units (SSU/DSU) to detect outbreaks at the earliest. (No timeline can be fixed)
• Investigate rumors in cases of diseases that have been considered as eradicated/eliminated e.g. Smallpox, Guinea Worm, Yaws (1-7 working days of receipt of information from concerned state health authorities).

B. Diagnostic Services

• Serological testing and confirmation of HIV infection (walk in clients: 1 working day, Referral clients: 7 working days), Serological investigation for Dengue (3-4 working days), Japanese Encephalitis (3-4 working days), Chikungunya viruses (3-4 working days) and Syphilis (1 working day).
• Lab investigation under Polio Eradication (3-30 working days), Sero-diagnosis of sporadic jaundice cases and jaundice outbreaks (5-10 working days), Serological investigation for leptospirosis (3-7 working days) and Brucellosis (3-4 working days).
• Serological screening of high risk groups, namely medical/paramedical personnel, family members spouse/partners of hepatitis B or C carriers, multi transfused individuals, antenatal women, etc. (5-10 working days)
• Malaria diagnosis (1 working day)
• Absolute CD4 T-Lymphocyte Count (1 working day)
• Polio surveillance in Sewage water samples (3-7 working days)
• Culture report for mycobacterium tuberculosis (6-8 weeks), Species Differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.TB/NTM) (10-12 working days)
• Stool Microscopy (2 working days), Stool Culture Serotyping (7 working days) and antibiotic susceptibility testing of Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio Cholera (7 working days)
• Serology Testing for Aspergillus/Cryptococcus/Histoplasma antigen detection (7 working days), Mycological diagnostic services for clinical specimens (1month)
• Disease investigation for toxoplasmosis (5 working days), leishmaniasis (for LD bodies- 1 working day) for promastigotes examination (7-10 working days) and neurocysticercosis (5 working days)
• Weil-Felix Test & IgM ELISA for Rickettsia (3-7 working days), ELISA for Hydatid disease (3-4 working days), IgM ELISA for Hanta virus (5-7 working days), IgM and IgG ELISA for lyme disease (5-7 working days)
• Isolation of different types of viruses such as Dengue virus (15 working days), Chikungunya virus (15 working days), JE virus (15 working days) and Rabies virus (10 working days)
• HIV/AIDS Counseling of direct walk in clients, patients and their families (1 day)
• Molecular diagnostic tests based on PCR/RT-PCR/gene sequencing for important epidemic-prone infectious diseases (3-10 working days) [only on samples referred from different Divisions of NCDC viz, Division of Microbiology, Division of Zoonosis, Centre for HIV/AIDS & Related Diseases etc.]

C. Other Services: Other important services provided by the Institute are

• Quality Control of Biologicals: The institute routinely provides quality control services for various vaccines like Hepatitis (15 working days), diagnostic test kits for AIDS (15 working days), etc.
• Storage and supply of vaccines and other biological materials: The institute stores reagents, test kits and vaccines and distributes these to various state health directorates and medical colleges on request. It also provides larvivorous fish for the biological control of mosquitoes to various public health agencies ( as on demand in 3-4 working days).
• Entomological investigations: Includes identification of arthropods of medical importance specially during disease out-break situations (1-14 working days).
• Testing of insecticide formulations:

Disaster Management

It includes Situational analysis of health, Initiate preventive and control measures and Establishment of surveillance system for Epidemic Prone diseases. (1–14 working days)

A. Training and Teaching

Some important trainings imparted by the Institute are as under:

• Ph.D. Programme: The Institute is recognized as the approved centre for guiding the Ph. D. students under University School of Medicine and Para Medical Health Sciences, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi.
• Two-year MPH (FE) Course:Field Epidemiology Training Programme of 2 years – started in 2006 to strengthen field epidemiological competencies of existing health practitioners and career oriented professionals (on annual basis).
• Conduct Three-month FETP for WHO Fellows of SEARO: a Tailor-made course for South East Asian Region (on annual basis).
• Conduct Four week Regional Training Programme on Prevention & Control of Communicable Diseases for paramedicos: It is Tailor-made for South East Asian Region (on annual basis).
• Training and Technical support for water quality monitoring & surveillance (as and when required).
• Training in Vector Borne Diseases, partnership with NVBDCP, PHFI & NIMR (ICMR) (4 weeks, as and when financial assistance received from WHO).

B. Expert Group Meetings

The Expert Group meetings for formulation of guidelines for surveillance, management, prevention and control of various communicable and non-communicable diseases are attended by experts of the respective fields, senior administrators of health services of the states and programme managers from medical, veterinary, agriculture and animal husbandry departments (as and when required).

C. Fellowships

Scientists, research workers and health professionals, from India and abroad on WHO fellowships are placed in the institute for training and exchange of technical knowledge (as and when required).

Research

Applied integrated research in following aspects of communicable as well as some aspects of non-communicable diseases is being undertaken:

• Operational Research is undertaken in the fields of bacteriology, virology, parasitology, immunology, epidemiology and entomology. The important diseases include Cholera, Polio, Measles, Yaws, Diphtheria, Meningitis, Tetanus, Hepatitis, AIDS, Rubella, Rabies, Dengue, Japanese Encephalitis, Kala-azar, Malaria, Filaria, Plague, Leptospirosis, Anthrax etc. (no period can be fixed).
• Laboratory and field oriented research in the transmission dynamics of arthropod borne diseases with the ultimate objective of vector control (no period can be fixed).
• Evaluation of new formulations of insecticides and biocides and screening of indigenous herbs to evaluate their insecticidal properties, studies on biological hazards of pesticides etc. (no period can be fixed).
• In- vitro cultures of organisms, development of reagents, rapid diagnostic tests including molecular techniques using modern equipment and latest technology (no period can be fixed).

Clients

• Homosexual (HM) / Blood product recipient / Parenteral drug abuser (IVDU) / Heterosexual female (HSF) / Heterosexual male (HSM) / Known HIV positive / Sexual partner of HIV positive [HIV P(F) / HIV P(M)] / Child born to HIV positive mother (MTCT)/People on ART/ PART/ Blood Donors/ State Reference Laboratories/ STD patients and Malaria Patients.
• Army medical officers of AFMC, Veterinary army officers, MBBS students, Senior Medical officers of BSF, MD (CHA) and DHA final year students, M. Phil, MPH and Ph. D students, post graduate students of community medicine of medical colleges, CGHS and CHS officers, BHMS students and Nursing students from various Nursing Institutes of the Country.
• States/ implementing agencies for Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP) and Yaws Eradication Programme (YEP).
• Community, Medical & Para- medical staff and Research students.
• Surveillance Units in all States/Districts, Identified Training Institutes, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), National Informatics Centre (NIC), etc.
• Individual patients, high risk individuals, patients in outbreak situation, health care facilities at every level (within and outside government), Referral from hospitals and states.
• Airport health organization, Delhi Airport in connection with VVIP flights going abroad. Airport Authority of India, Govt. Officers and Hospitals, General public by reference Laboratory support for investigation of water borne diseases.
• Hospitals/Centres/ Field investigation units/ Veterinary hospitals and Health care facilities at Government / outside Government and Endemic states.
• Students/Candidates wanting to pursue various courses conducted by the Institute.

Expectations from Medical Experts-Staff/Patients/Individuals

1. All the samples should be collected, stored and transported in good and sterile conditions, samples should be properly labeled along with the clinical and investigation details of the patient on the form provided by NCDC
2. Sample should be appropriate and collected after proper duration of illness, it should be in good condition and during transportation proper cold chain should be maintained ( Unless otherwise indicated for e.g. suspected cholera or meningococcal or Homophiles infections)
3. During epidemic/ outbreak before sending sample, inform the lab in charge /HOD in advance
4. Researchers /Faculty /Students are expected to give sufficient details of the study/project to be conducted and must involve the experts on statistics in the study from the beginning while deciding the sampling design, sample size etc.

General Scheme/Services Meant for Citizens

1. Health education
2. Counseling and HIV testing of direct walk-in clients
3. Support to courses/trainings run at NCDC for specialized group of citizens (Medical Officers, Health care workers/ Students from different Universities of India)
4. Orientation trainings to Army Medical officers/BSF/ Veterinary medical officers, M.Sc./B.Tech./MD/M.Phil/Ph.D and Nursing students from various Institutes of Country
5. Case detection and investigation through newspaper and media scanning
6. Laboratory services required for referred cases from government hospitals
7. Help in outbreak investigation to State, District and Central Teams as and when desired
8. Serological testing, proper reporting and counseling
9. Strengthening of surveillance system for infectious diseases to detect and respond to outbreaks quickly