Bangladesh’s disease monitoring agency, IEDCR, to get swanky look in a new premise

The government’s disease monitoring agency, IEDCR, will be housed in a “modern well-designed” building with expanded facilities and internationally accredited laboratories, its director says.

Prof Mahmudur Rahman said the health minister, Mohammed Nasim, would lay the foundation stone of the new 10-storied building on Sunday at Mohakhali, just beside its present address.

“We hope to complete the work in two phases in three to four years,” he told bdnews24.com on Saturday.

The IEDCR is tasked to monitor the disease outbreaks and surveillances. It responds to any emergency situation. The centre is credited to delay the pandemic influenza in 2009 in Bangladesh. It has WHO accredited laboratories.

Prof Rahman said there would be five separate laboratories –virology, microbiology, zoonosis, parasitology, and antamoloy -- in the new building.

“All will be of international standard. There will be special cold room and emergency operation centre,” he said, adding that the ‘one health secretariat’ would be based in the building.

“We’ll have all the modern facilities like the US CDC building,” he said, adding that the US CDC scientists, who currently sit at ICDDR,B for their works would be shifted to the IEDCR.

The government is funding the project cost. Prof Rahman said the first-phase of the construction of the three-storied building would cost Tk140 million.