Featured Stories: U.S. CDC India Office

Overview

Public health threats have the potential to disrupt the global economy, including trade and travel and expose communities at home and abroad to infectious diseases with pandemic potential. CDC maintains a technical collaboration with the Government of India to strengthen public health systems through the adoption of international best practices to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats when every minute counts. Given the high volume of international travel and trade between India and the United States, it is vital to contain disease outbreaks locally and quickly so that business, trade, and tourism can thrive. Read the stories below for highlights from October 2025–March 2026.

Laboratory

Biological threats represent significant challenges to national security. These incidents can originate in any part of the world and have the potential to rapidly spread across borders. Strengthening biosafety and biosecurity measures in India, where approximately 2,300 infectious disease outbreaks are reported annually, serves as a vital line of defense for the U.S. For over twenty years CDC experts have worked with the Government of India (GoI) to conduct expert trainings, facilitate technology transfer, and deliver peer-to-peer technical assistance to improve diagnostic capacity for high-priority pathogens.

India's first NQAS-certified public health lab sets a national standard

The Integrated Public Health Laboratory at District Hospital Raipur is the first in India to earn National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification from the National Health Mission (NHM). India reached a milestone when the laboratory, located at District Hospital in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, became the first in the country to earn this certification, scoring 90% in the external assessment.

Developed in partnership with NHM, Chhattisgarh Department of Health, and CDC, the laboratory delivers reliable diagnostics and strengthens disease surveillance. Raipur's achievement now serves as a national model for integrated, quality-assured laboratory services — demonstrating what strong systems can accomplish for public health in India and globally.

Arunachal Pradesh advances laboratory microbiology training

Arunachal Pradesh held its first-ever microbiology wet laboratory training for district public health laboratories. Seventeen participants from eight districts gained hands-on skills in specimen collection, microscopy, culture, rapid diagnostic tests, water quality testing, biosafety, and outbreak investigation. The training establishes a foundation for standardized laboratory practices statewide. CDC will continue providing mentoring and refresher courses to strengthen the state's laboratory network and its contribution to disease surveillance and global health security.

Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers trained to strengthen the lab-field epidemiology interface

Newly inducted EIS India officers and MPH scholars at NCDC, received training focused on the critical link between field epidemiology and laboratory science. Using real-world outbreaks — including Naegleria fowleri, Listeria linked to ice cream, and Cryptosporidium contamination — participants learned about early laboratory coordination, diagnostic prioritization, and specimen management. This training equips EIS officers to lead higher-quality outbreak investigations under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

Mapping India's diagnostic landscape

The National Centre for Disease Control's (NCDC) Centre for One Health and CDC completed a first-of-its-kind diagnostic landscape review — mapping over 1,000 diagnostic kits across 29 zoonotic diseases. Multiple technical working group meetings validated and refined the data. The result is an interactive digital dashboard that helps policymakers and laboratory professionals compare laboratory diagnostic test options and make evidence-based decisions. This tool strengthens India's outbreak preparedness and supports faster, smarter diagnostic responses to emerging infections.

Workforce

CDC's partnership with the Government of India has trained over 1,500 field epidemiologists through the India FETP since 2012, strengthening India's ability to detect and contain more than 100 disease outbreaks annually. This collaboration enhances India's public health capacity while helping prevent cross-border health threats, protecting millions of people—including the 1.5 million Americans who travel to India each year.

Training the epidemiologists India needs

India's Intermediate Field Epidemiology Training Program (I-FETP) is expanding rapidly. Launched at the National Institute of Public Health Training and Research in Mumbai in 2024 and expanded to All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health in August 2025, the CDC-supported program trains field epidemiologists in disease surveillance, outbreak response, and laboratory coordination. The program launched 12 additional intermediate FETP hubs across the country with the aim of training approximately 250 FETP officers over the next year. This initiative directly supports India's achievement of the International Health Regulations (IHR) target of one trained epidemiologist per 200,000 people—strengthening local capacity and protecting communities from the spread of infectious disease.

Kerala launches first I-FETP cohort, training spans six states

Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR's) National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), the Kerala Government, and CDC jointly launched Kerala's first Intermediate FETP cohort, which is a year-long program in epidemiology, surveillance, and outbreak response. The trainees of this cohort will support disease control in their home states and serve as future FETP mentors, advancing India's national scale-up toward IHR targets for trained epidemiologists.

One Health workshop trains experts to prioritize zoonotic disease threats

With nearly 60% of human infectious diseases originating in animals, prioritizing zoonotic diseases is essential to protecting public health. ICMR's National Institute of Epidemiology and CDC convened a One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization (OHZDP) Workshop in Chennai, training 44 multisectoral experts from 30 government institutes on CDC's OHZDP process. These trained facilitators will lead national and sub-national OHZDP workshops, directing limited resources toward the highest-risk zoonotic disease threats, strengthening One Health coordination across public health, animal health, and environment sectors, and guiding surveillance, preparedness, and response strategies for priority zoonotic diseases across India.

Prevention and Response

Whatever the cause of a biological threat, immediate, coordinated, and effective action limits the impact and spread of the threat. CDC provides technical assistance to the Government of India's five-tiered Public Health Emergency and Disaster Management – Professional Development Program (PHEDM-PDP). This program integrates core principles of disaster and emergency management with public health practice, aiming to cultivate a skilled workforce capable of responding effectively to public health threats at multiple levels. Since its inception, this five-tiered initiative has trained over 1,000 emergency responders across five states.

Chhattisgarh builds emergency preparedness capacity

CDC, in partnership with NCDC and the National Institute of Disaster Management, expanded the Public Health Emergency and Disaster Management (PHEDM)Tier-III training in Chhattisgarh. Over four batches, 134 district-level officials were trained in coordinated disaster response through case studies on malaria outbreaks and floods, scenario exercises, and tabletop simulations. Covering all 33 districts and 8 Municipal Corporations, this initiative strengthens local capacity to manage public health emergencies — a key pillar of India's Health Emergency Operation Centers under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) framework.

Rajasthan trains community leaders in disaster preparedness

NCDC, National Institute of Disaster Management, and CDC trained 262 participants from 35 districts in Rajasthan under the Community-Based PHEDM program. Zonal Training of Trainers sessions equipped frontline workers and community leaders with participatory tools, first aid, and CPR skills. These master trainers will cascade training statewide, building a resilient, locally driven preparedness system across one of India's largest states.

HIV

CDC maintains technical collaboration with India’s national HIV program, supporting the achievement of the global 95-95-95 HIV epidemic control targets. India, home to over 2.5 million people living with HIV, and the second largest HIV population, is a pivotal partner in the global fight to end HIV/AIDS. With over 1.6 million individuals on life-saving HIV treatment, India plays a critical role in achieving global HIV elimination

Index Testing-Plus (ITS-Plus) bridges Andhra Pradesh's HIV detection gap

Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society and CDC along with implementing partners, launched ITS-Plus — a network-based HIV case-finding strategy targeting under-served populations. The training equipped 82 master trainers who will cascade skills to over 200 frontline staff. Prioritizing sustainability over parallel structures, the initiative embeds capacity within the state program, accelerating epidemic control while building a self-reliant HIV response for the long term.

Gujarat antiretroviral treatment (ART) centers strengthen patient retention with capacity building

CDC provided hands-on technical support in training 30 medical officers and 30 ART data managers in Ahmedabad, and a Care and Support Center (CSC) review with 70 participants. Sessions addressed ART initiation, regimen switching, and ART Center–CSC linkages. CDC introduced a digital risk categorization tool to identify clients at risk of treatment interruption, promoting a patient-centered, data-driven approach to HIV care with ongoing mentoring planned.

From improvement to impact: Model ART Centre

Dimapur Civil Hospital, Nagaland’s busiest Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Centre, has been transformed into a Model ART Centre through collaborative efforts by Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS), CDC, and implementing partner PATH.

Through targeted quality improvement interventions—including workflow redesign, staff mentoring, process mapping, and data-driven decision-making—the centre strengthened eight key service areas, including rapid ART initiation, viral load monitoring, and differentiated service delivery. Within 15 months, same-day ART initiation increased from 27% to 57%, viral load testing coverage improved from 61% to 79%, and multi-month dispensing rose from 44% to 71%, while client waiting time decreased by 35%.

Launched as a Model ART Centre in October 2025, Dimapur now serves as a training hub and demonstration site for HIV service delivery improvements across Nagaland and the Northeast.

Tuberculosis

Addressing TB at its source is crucial for safeguarding national security. The threat posed by drug-resistant strains of TB further emphasizes this urgency; without effective intervention, these strains can easily cross borders and lead to outbreaks that threaten communities around the world, including in India and the U.S. In 2023, India accounted for over 26% of global TB cases and deaths. Global and domestic TB elimination efforts will only be successful if India's TB epidemic control is successful.

TB infection prevention control (IPC) and healthcare worker screening

The Government of India and CDC are collaborating on TB IPC practices at healthcare facilities (HCF) in Mumbai to prevent transmission of respiratory pathogens in the HCFs and respond effectively. This was successfully expanded to ten states in India covering approximately 150 million population. The collaboration has also piloted projects to prevent TB in people at highest risk for TB: household members of people diagnosed with TB and healthcare workers.

CDC supported the TB Mukt Bharat initiative extended healthcare worker TB screening to Lady Hardinge Medical College and BSA Medical College in New Delhi — institutions employing over 4,000 staff combined. Collaborative discussions with health officials produced a comprehensive operational plan. This initiative safeguards frontline health workers while strengthening India's broader commitment to TB elimination within healthcare settings.

Puducherry and Tamil Nadu advance TB infection prevention and control

CDC supported the TB Mukt Bharat initiative to reach milestones in both Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. In Puducherry, phase II was completed at an Ayushman Bharat Primary Health Centre Lawspet Puducherry, training over 30 healthcare workers in TB IPC. In Chennai, strategic meetings with Tamil Nadu health authorities reviewed IPC progress and finalized 2026 action plans. High-level engagement with the National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis advanced healthcare worker screening plans across select districts.

Data and Surveillance

Influenza

CDC’s presence in India strengthens detection of novel influenza viruses and rapid outbreak investigations to prevent spread, including H5N1 bird flu. In 2024–2025, CDC supported the monitoring of human cases linked to poultry outbreaks and expanded regional genetic sequencing capacity, improving detection of concerning viral changes and supporting development of pre-pandemic preparedness.

Influenza surveillance across southern India

CDC's Influenza team visited INSPIRES project sites at Madras Medical College Hospital and Periyar Nagar Hospital in Chennai. The teams reviewed data collection and resolved enrollment challenges in influenza surveillance. Their engagement improved data quality and deepened understanding of circulating strains in southern India. At ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology, the team presented interim findings on severe acute respiratory infections burden and shaped plans for future collaboration to enhance respiratory disease preparedness globally.

IPC and Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AR), which crosses borders, is a critical threat to public health because it can make infections difficult or impossible to treat. India has one of the highest rates of AR. CDC has supported the Government of India in starting two national surveillance networks to detect and contain AR, improve infection prevention and control, limit the spread of outbreaks, and enhance public reporting of AR data. CDC support for building health capacity and systems reduces the risk that AR infections will spread.

IPC community of practice

With 15% of hospitalized patients in India acquiring healthcare-associated infections (HAI), scaling IPC expertise is urgent. In August 2025, CDC partnered with AIIMS Delhi to launch a national IPC Community of Practice — a bi-weekly expert-led learning platform. In its first phase, 13 sessions reached 881 IPC professionals across 222 healthcare sites, fostering peer learning, strengthening outbreak preparedness and response, and building the skilled workforce needed to reduce HAIs nationwide.

Strengthening India's HAI surveillance

The 26th HAI Surveillance Network workshop, convened by AIIMS New Delhi and CDC, trained 79 infection preventionists from 39 healthcare facilities across 17 states in AR and HAI surveillance. Over 105 sites are now participating in the network, with plans to expand to all states and district hospitals — reflecting strong national ownership of the initiative. Sustainable, government-led surveillance systems improve patient safety and strengthen India's readiness to detect and respond to healthcare-associated threats.

India launches second National Action Plan on AR

India launched its second National Action Plan (NAP) on AR — a comprehensive roadmap coordinated by NITI Aayog across more than 20 ministries and sectors. CDC experts participated in working groups and provided technical guidance for strengthening accountability frameworks and sustainable financing mechanisms. The plan addresses surveillance, research, IPC, stewardship, and regulatory oversight through a One Health lens, marking a major milestone in India's commitment to national and global health security.

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Mar 19, 2026