Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance

Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance

Abbreviation	CORDS
Type	Non-governmental organization
Region served	Global

Connecting Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CORDS) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to enhance global health security by promoting and facilitating regional cooperation for disease surveillance. CORDS works to connect various regional disease surveillance networks to improve the detection, monitoring, and response to infectious diseases.

History

CORDS was established to address the need for a coordinated approach to disease surveillance across different regions. The organization was founded with the support of several international health agencies and regional networks, recognizing that infectious diseases do not respect borders and that a collaborative effort is essential for effective disease control.

Objectives

The primary objectives of CORDS include:

• Enhancing the capacity of regional networks to detect and respond to infectious diseases.
• Promoting the sharing of information and best practices among member networks.
• Facilitating collaboration between regional networks and global health organizations.
• Supporting the development of new regional networks in areas lacking surveillance infrastructure.

Activities

CORDS engages in various activities to achieve its objectives, including:

• Organizing workshops and training sessions for health professionals.
• Developing and disseminating guidelines and tools for disease surveillance.
• Coordinating joint surveillance projects and research initiatives.
• Advocating for policies that support regional and global disease surveillance efforts.

Member Networks

CORDS connects several regional disease surveillance networks, including:

• Asia Partnership on Emerging Infectious Diseases Research
• East African Integrated Disease Surveillance Network
• Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance
• Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance
• South East European Center for Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases

Impact

Since its inception, CORDS has played a significant role in improving regional disease surveillance capabilities. By fostering collaboration and information sharing, CORDS has helped member networks to better detect and respond to outbreaks, ultimately contributing to global health security.

See also

• World Health Organization
• Global Health Security Agenda
• Epidemiology
• Infectious disease
• Public health