The state health department signed an MoU with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), GoI, to establish a branch of NCDC in Bengaluru.
NCDC is a centre of excellence in the area of communicable disease control, lab-based diagnostic services, and multidisciplinary research.
The office will be located in a 2.26-acre plot on the premises of the Community Health Centre, Chandrappa Circle, Bengaluru South. The health department has leased the land to NCDC for 30 years.
According to a press release from the health department, NCDC will provide a state-of-the-art lab for diagnostic support to the Karnataka government, along with the support of experts in the field of public health, microbiology, and entomology, among others. This is expected to enhance the state's capacity in the investigation and surveillance of epidemic-prone diseases.