Since 1980, ICDDR,B has been recognized by WHO as a Collaborating Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, and in 2010, the partnership has been extended for yet another 4 years, in recognition of ICDDR,B’s ongoing contributions to international health, developing realistic and cost-effective solutions to diarrhoeal disease.

A survey of people aged over 60 in rural Matlab in 2003 examined their productive activities, including paid work, domestic activities and community participation.

ICDDR,B has been issued its first patent from the Director of United States Patent and Trademark Office (United States Patent US7638271) for inventing a new diagnostic method for tuberculosis, called antibodies produced by peripheral blood lymphocytes in culture supernatant, or ALS.

A cluster of deaths occurred in northern Bangladesh in November 2007 with patients presenting with vomiting, restlessness, unconsciousness, and elevated liver enzymes. In total, 81 patients were identified from 11 villages in Sylhet, of whom almost one in four died (24%), all within hours of symptom onset. An expert medical committee from the Institute for Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh) and ICDDR,B was formed to evaluate patients. Initial laboratory tests indicated that patients experienced severe liver damage.

Rickets is a disease that results in softening of bones in children potentially leading to fractures and deformity and it is among the most frequent childhood diseases in many developing countries. The predominant cause of rickets is vitamin D deficiency, but lack of adequate calcium intake can also lead to rickets.

Investigators from Infectious Disease & Vaccine Sciences; the Virology Laboratory of ICDDR,B; the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research of Government of Bangladesh; and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; recently published an article titled ‘Influenza in outpatient ILI case-patients in National Hospital-Based Surveillance, Bangladesh,2007-2008’ on the December 2009 issue of PLoS ONE, which is an inclusive, peer-reviewed, open-access journal. The article presented the first twenty months’ data from the nationally representative hospital based surveillance system.

On 7 December 2009, Health Minister Dr AFM Ruhal Haque launched a joint World Bank and UNAIDS report titled 20 years of HIV in Bangladesh: Experiences and Way Forward which brings together recent data from different sources, some unpublished, in an attempt to better understand the epidemic in Bangladesh. The most vulnerable population groups and geographical areas, the coverage and impact of services, and barriers and facilitators of risk behaviours are all key topics identified in the report. Dr Haque emphasised at the launch that the Government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy highlights HIV/AIDS as an area that requires urgent attention.

The Global Forum for Health Research and The Lancet recently announced the shortlist for their annual essay competition which is a premiere international platform for young researchers to voice their ideas for public health solutions. With a theme of Innovating for the health of all, the essays in 2009 came from young people of 75 nationalities living in 70 different countries; and 40 essays were shortlisted.