High Commissioner of Canada to Bangladesh Dr Lilly Nicholls has said icddr,b is contributing not only to research but also to the community, specially to the poor who have no means or access to the services.
"It’s an incredible contribution. I am also very interested to see what you would do next. Canada of course has been with you as a proud core donor from the very beginning and will continue to do so," she said while speaking as the chief guest at a function.
Marking a significant 63-year journey in pioneering global health research and innovation, icddr,b celebrated its anniversary on Tuesday at the Mohakhali Campus in Dhaka.
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Originating as the Cholera Research Laboratory (CRL) under the support of Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA during the height of a severe cholera pandemic, the institution was later renamed icddr,b in 1978.
The occasion also commemorated the first anniversary of the icddr,b Act 2022, passed by the Parliament of Bangladesh, which reaffirmed icddr,b’s role as an international research institution.
The celebrations commenced with a special seminar, featuring a welcome address by Dr Tahmeed Ahmed, who highlighted icddr,b's crucial contributions to medical research and public health.
Emphasising icddr,b's ground-breaking development of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), Dr Ahmed outlined its pivotal role in reducing childhood diarrhoeal disease mortality and advancing maternal and neonatal health, including significant progress in tetanus toxoid vaccine research.
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His address also spotlighted icddr,b's leadership in developing effective oral cholera vaccines, establishing guidelines for treating severe malnutrition, and contributing to global polio eradication efforts.
