Hyderabad: Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) on Sunday announced that it would set up a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness here. The centre “Dr Cyrus Poonawalla Center of Excellence for Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness” will be located at the Indian Institute of Public Health, a release said.

The CoE is being set up for providing the community a centralised location for information, resources, and support during times of public health emergencies.

The centre will serve as a hub for public health education, outreach, and response efforts during outbreak of infectious diseases, it said.

While the discussion for this centre began at Telangana’s Minister for Industries and Information Technology K T Rama Rao’s meeting with Adar Poonawalla, CEO of SII during the World Economic Forum in Davos last year, the announcement of plans to establish it was made after Rama Rao’s virtual meeting with Poonawalla today, the release said.

Rama Rao said: “The opening of this Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness marks a significant step forward in our efforts to protect the health and well-being of our community. By centralising our resources and expertise, we can ensure a quick and effective response to any public health emergency”.

Adar Poonawalla said the Centre will offer a variety of services, including Public health education and outreach, monitoring and tracking of infectious diseases, coordination of response efforts with local healthcare providers and provision of information and support for individuals and families affected by epidemic.

Prof Srinath Reddy of Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, said the Dr Cyrus Poonawalla Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness will help strengthen India’s capacity to anticipate, avert and attenuate pandemic threats through improved prevention, prediction, preparation and prompt response.