The CRDM works in collaboration with GERMS SA click to view
CRDM Brochure: 2012-14 click to view
Mission
The Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningits (CRDM) is a resource of surveillance, diagnostics, expertise and research in the field of communicable respiratory diseases and meningitis for South Africa and the African continent. The centre generates data and provides expertise related to respiratory diseases and meningitis of public health importance to the South African National Department of Health, health care providers, regional and international collaborators, to assist with the planning of public health policies and programmes and response to respiratory disease and meningitis outbreaks. The CRDM is also a source of capacity building and formal training within South Africa and the African region.
Objectives of the CRDM
To conduct surveillance for communicable respiratory diseases and meningitis within South Africa in order to provide data on the burden, severity and seasonality.
- To characterise (phenotypically and genotypically) pathogens contributing to respiratory diseases and meningitis in order to understand strain relatedness (molecular epidemiology) and guide vaccine development, treatment and prevention policy.
- To monitor trends in antiviral and antibacterial drug resistance in respiratory and meningeal pathogens in order to inform empiric treatment guidelines.
- To monitor the impact and effectiveness of interventions to reduce respiratory diseases and meningitis.
- To provide reference laboratory functions for specialised organism characterisation and identification related to respiratory communicable diseases and pathogens causing meningitis nationally and regionally.
- To identify and characterise novel respiratory and meningeal pathogens with potential to cause outbreaks and to assist with response to respiratory disease outbreaks.
- To be a source of local and regional expertise on respiratory diseases and meningitis.
- To engage in directed and relevant research to answer questions related to regional respiratory disease and meningitis communicable disease problems and their surveillance and management.
- To build local and regional capacity in epidemiology and laboratory diagnostics for respiratory disease and meningitis.
For Publications of the Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis click the link below:
http://nicd.ac.za/?page=centre_for_respiratory_and_meningitis&id=171