The Centre for Health and Population Research, also known as ICDDR,B, was originally established as the SEATO-Pakistan Cholera Laboratory and founded in 1960 by the United States and Pakistan governments to study the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of cholera. During the late 1960s it became known as the Cholera Research Laboratory (CRL).
In 1978 the CRL was renamed the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), and transformed into an autonomous, non-profit institution. The Centre was internationalized as part of a global agreement among 25 countries, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and UNDP. An international board of trustees was created after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed.
The Centre has since changed its name to the Centre for Health and Population Research in order to emphasize its expanded mission, which includes child survival and family planning, as well as other global health threats. Bilateral donors, UN organizations, foundations, non-governmental organizations, and private sector companies support the Centre's activities.
Approximately 200 scientists from over 25 countries and 1000 support staff work at the Centre. The Centre consists of a hospital in Dhaka and a field station in the rural area of Matlab. Demographic activities of Matlab's 200,000 villagers have been recorded over the past 40 years, creating a valuable resource for population-based studies. In addition, over 20,000 health professionals from 78 industrialized and developing countries have been trained in public health, population studies, and intestinal diseases at the Centre in Dhaka.
The most notable accomplishment of the Centre has been its major role in the development of Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT). ORT has become the modern method for treating diarrhoeal diseases. This efficient and effective treatment has been estimated at saving the lives of over three million children worldwide, every year.
The principle activities of the Centre include research and training in the areas of infectious diarrhoeal diseases, child health, vaccine evaluation and development, reproductive health, nutrition research, infectious diseases, and health systems research.