Epidemiology and Disease Control Division

What Epidemiology and Disease Control Division does

The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) is the Government of Nepal's central authority for disease surveillance, outbreak detection, and communicable disease control, operating under the Ministry of Health and Population and the Department of Health Services. Headquartered in Kathmandu, EDCD was originally established as a Division of Statistics in 2030 BS (c. 1973–1974) and was reorganized into its current form in 2050 BS (c. 1993–1994); it is led by Director Dr. Anuj Bhattachan. Its mandate is set by the Public Health Service Act, 2075 (2018) and aligned with the International Health Regulations (2005).

EDCD's core technical asset is the Early Warning and Reporting System (EWARS), a hospital-based sentinel surveillance platform covering 134 hospitals across all 77 districts of Nepal. EWARS produces weekly bulletins on six priority diseases/syndromes — Malaria, Kala-azar, Dengue, Acute Gastroenteritis, Cholera, and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection — with immediate (within 24 hours) reporting protocols for confirmed cases of Cholera, Kala-azar, severe Malaria, and suspect Dengue. Complementary information systems include a COVID-19 Dashboard, the Malaria Data and Information System (MDIS), a Kala-Azar Tracker, and an AgRDT public-reporting form. Beyond surveillance, EDCD runs disease elimination and control programs (Malaria, Kala-azar, Dengue, Lymphatic Filariasis, Zoonoses, Leprosy), maintains an active surveillance and Rapid Response Team capability, acts as secretariat of the Water Quality Surveillance Committee, and coordinates non-communicable disease and mental health initiatives.

EDCD is a government division, not a commercial entity. It is funded through Nepal's Ministry of Health budget allocations and supplemented by partner support from the World Health Organization and the Global Fund; it provides disease surveillance and outbreak response services at no direct cost to the public. Its distribution is built into Nepal's federal health-system hierarchy — sentinel hospitals, provincial health directorates, district health offices, Rapid Response Teams, and public dashboards — and its marketing channels consist of the official edcd.gov.np website, a Twitter account (@edcd_nepal), weekly EWARS bulletins, press releases, and provincial orientation workshops.

Name

Epidemiology and Disease Control Division

Legal name

Epidemiology and Disease Control Division

Website

https://edcd.gov.np

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Disease Surveillance

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (923120), Public Administration (92)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease & Condition Surveillance Programs (HLAJANAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outbreak Investigation & Incident Management (EOC/ICS) (HLAJABAE), Disaster Response Coordination & Incident Command (EOC/ICS) (HLAJAGAB)

Keywords

• Disease surveillance systems
• Public health epidemiology
• Outbreak response services
• Communicable disease control
• Health information systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Kathmandu

HQ country

Nepal

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EDCD is Nepal's national government division responsible for disease surveillance, outbreak detection and response, and disease control programs across the country. It operates the Early Warning and Reporting System (EWARS) covering 134 sentinel hospitals in all 77 districts, manages elimination programs for Malaria, Kala-azar, Lymphatic Filariasis and Dengue, and produces weekly surveillance bulletins. The division also develops public health guidelines, coordinates with WHO under International Health Regulations, and manages information systems including the COVID-19 Dashboard and MDIS.

Product overview

EDCD operates as Nepal's government epidemiology and disease control agency under the Ministry of Health and Department of Health Services. The organization manages a comprehensive disease surveillance infrastructure centered on EWARS (Early Warning and Reporting System), a hospital-based sentinel surveillance system covering 134 hospitals. Key offerings include the COVID-19 Dashboard, Surveillance Bulletins, EWARS Bulletins, and various disease control programs (Malaria Elimination, Kala-Azar, Dengue, Lymphatic Filariasis, Zoonoses, Leprosy). EDCD also provides policy documents, guidelines including the Alert and Response Framework and Rapid Risk Assessment Framework, and manages information systems like MDIS and Kala-Azar Tracker for data-driven public health decision-making.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EWARS: Early Warning and Reporting System - a hospital-based sentinel surveillance system covering 134 hospitals across all districts of Nepal
• COVID-19 Dashboard
• MDIS
• Kala-Azar Tracker

Products and services

• Early Warning and Reporting System (EWARS)

Quantifiable outcome

• Weekly surveillance bulletins produced every Sunday with detailed disease trend analysis
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO is listed as a supporting stakeholder receiving EWARS bulletins and involved in international health coordination under IHR 2005. WHO provides technical guidance for disease surveillance and outbreak response alignment with international standards.
• Global FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Fund is listed as a supporting stakeholder for EWARS bulletins. Supports disease control programs including malaria, and receives surveillance data for program monitoring and resource allocation.
• Ministry of Health and Population, NepalcoreOthersEDCD operates under the guidance of Ministry of Health for drafting national laws, policies, and strategies. Provides support to MoHP for disease control and management activities.
• Department of Health Services (DoHS)coreOthersEDCD is a division under DoHS. Coordinates with all divisions and centers of DoHS for integrated public health emergency management.
• VBDTRC (Vector Borne Disease Research and Training Center)minorOthersReceives EWARS bulletins and coordinates for vector-borne disease surveillance and response activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The largest and most established national disease control agency globally. Operates a similar mandate to EDCD (disease surveillance, outbreak response, elimination programs) but at vastly greater scale, budget, and global influence.
• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): Canada's national public health agency responsible for disease surveillance, outbreak response, and health promotion. Operates at larger scale and broader scope than EDCD, but shares the same core mandate of national epidemiology and disease control.

Direct peers

• Pakistan National Institute of Health (NIH): Pakistan's apex public health agency responsible for disease surveillance, outbreak response, and laboratory diagnostics. Comparable in mandate and function as the national epidemiology authority for a South Asian country.
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): EU agency responsible for disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and epidemiological intelligence across European member states. Comparable in mandate and surveillance methodology to EDCD, though at regional rather than national scale.
• Sri Lanka Epidemiology Unit: Sri Lanka's national epidemiology unit responsible for communicable disease surveillance and outbreak response. Highly comparable peer operating within a similar South Asian country context with tropical disease priorities.
• Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC): Continental public health agency coordinating disease surveillance and outbreak response across African Union member states. Directly comparable as a regional disease surveillance authority serving multiple countries with similar programs.
• India National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC): India's national epidemiology and disease control agency, operating IDSP (Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme) across Indian states. Most directly comparable to EDCD in mandate, scale of population served, and disease surveillance focus within South Asia.
• Bhutan Royal Centre for Disease Control (RCDC): Bhutan's national disease control and surveillance center. Comparable smaller-scale peer operating within the Himalayan region with similar mandate and tropical/vector-borne disease focus.
• Bangladesh Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR): Bangladesh's national institute for epidemiology and disease control, operating disease surveillance and outbreak response. Most comparable South Asian peer with similar scope, sentinel surveillance approach, and tropical disease focus.

Others

• World Health Organization South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO): WHO's regional office covering South-East Asia including Nepal. Functions as a coordinating and supporting partner to EDCD rather than a direct competitor, providing technical guidance, standards, and international health regulation alignment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/edcd_nepal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epidemiology-and-disease-control-division

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Epidemiology and Disease Control Division