WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has been granted by the World Health Organization (WHO) with the status of a Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats on 26th April 2016 (biological threats are defined according to the WHO-specifications).

Collaborating Centres (CC) are designated throughout the world by WHO in different areas. The centres are national institutions, e. g. public authorities or research institutes that support WHO with expertise and staff in the implementation of their programmes and tasks. They advise WHO with specific scientific expertise in developing preventive policies and assisting public health programs at international level. There are several WHO Collaborating Centres in Germany involved in a broad range of health issues.

The WHO Collaborating Centre at RKI is part of an international cooperation that aims to support WHO and its Member States in preparing for and responding to emerging infections and biological threats with specific tasks.

These supportive activities are structured in four Terms of Reference:

• Support WHO in its function to prepare for alert and response to outbreaks of international importance by building laboratory capacities.
• Provide expertise in event investigation and outbreak response and preparedness including laboratory diagnostics, epidemiology, infection control measures, and clinical management.
• Support WHO’s epidemiology and surveillance activities including training in outbreak response, applied research, data analysis and modelling, when requested.
• Support the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 regarding emerging infections and biological threats.

The Collaborating Centre at RKI is a cooperation between the Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens (ZBS), the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and the Department of Infectious Diseases.

Head of the WHO CC

Prof. Dr. Lars Schaade, Vice President of RKI and head of the Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens (ZBS)
Dr. Osamah Hamouda, Head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Coordination

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology