International Society for Infectious Diseases provides a global perspective on surveillance, innovation and equity in infectious disease control
Infectious diseases remain a defining global health challenge, shaped by rapid scientific advancement and persistent inequities in access to care, knowledge and infrastructure. The International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) plays a central role in addressing these challenges through global surveillance, education, research and advocacy.
From pioneering early outbreak detection via Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) to supporting clinicians in low-resource settings through its Knowledge Exchange, ISID operates at the intersection of innovation and real-world impact. In this written interview, ISID outlines the key trends influencing the future of infectious disease control and highlights the initiatives driving progress in prevention, diagnosis and global collaboration.
The global need for co-ordinated infectious disease response
The recent pandemic of COVID-19 has shown how rapidly diseases can spread across borders with dire consequences. The spread of infectious diseases highlights an urgent need for co-ordinated global response for the effective prevention and control of infectious diseases. This collaboration should not only be at national and international levels but also at individual and community levels.
This is why the International Society for Infectious Diseases mission is to empower clinical health experts and allied professionals to prevent, investigate and manage infectious diseases within a One Health context. ISID is committed to equity, prioritising support for countries and regions with limited resources and disproportionately high infectious disease burdens.
The Society is dedicated to developing partnerships and to finding solutions to the problems of infectious diseases across the globe and encourages the collaborative efforts of human health, veterinary health, and environmental health communities working locally, nationally, and globally for the best control and management of infectious diseases. The Society is a global non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization open to all individuals interested in infectious diseases.
ProMED: Early detection and global disease surveillance
ISID serves as a vanguard for the early detection of health events and diseases. Over the last 31 years, the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) has been the first to report on numerous major and minor disease outbreaks and biothreats, including SARS, Chikungunya, the early spread of Ebola and Zika, MERS, COVID-19 and many others.
ProMED is an important and longstanding contributor to the global emerging and re-emerging infectious disease surveillance landscape. It is the largest publicly available system conducting global reporting of infectious disease outbreaks.
It is an essential source of information used daily by international public health leaders, government officials, physicians, veterinarians, researchers, private companies, journalists and the public. ProMED provides timely reporting of important emerging pathogens and their vectors using a One Health approach. It is unique in that human moderators review and post on emerging and re-emerging diseases, including those with a One Health focus.
Knowledge Exchange: Expanding access to education and training
The Knowledge Exchange is an online resource that shares open-access educational modules, webinars and interactive discussions. ISID’s online learning environment focuses on sharing evidence-based information for infectious disease management, control and prevention, particularly in resource-limited settings.
The content hosted on the Knowledge Exchange serves as an enduring resource for practitioners around the globe, with a strong focus on low- and middle-income countries. It regularly shares critical infectious disease knowledge across a range of global priorities and provides content focused on career development and leadership skill-building.
International Congress on Infectious Diseases: Advancing science and practice
Since its inception more than 20 years ago, the International Congress on Infectious Diseases has served as a globally recognised platform for advancing science, clinical practice and public health policy in the field of infectious diseases.
Each congress has marked new milestones, whether unveiling pivotal research outcomes, informing pandemic preparedness or fostering the next generation of leaders in global health. This year, the scientific programme will feature plenary lectures from internationally renowned experts, in-depth symposia, interactive workshops and state-of-the-art poster sessions.
These sessions are designed to highlight the latest breakthroughs in microbial pathogenesis, vaccine development, antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic and emerging infections, digital health innovations and strategies to advance health equity worldwide.
Publications: Strengthening the global infectious diseases community
ISID’s publications seek to strengthen the specialty of infectious diseases globally, supporting the ongoing professional development of practitioners and improving clinical practice.
These goals are advanced through its peer-reviewed, open-access family of journals, including the International Journal of Infectious Diseases (IJID), IJID Regions and IJID One Health.
Research support and global collaboration
ISID is committed to advancing research, driving innovation and producing new knowledge by working with the infectious disease community worldwide. It promotes collaboration among researchers and enables investigators to extend their research experience, learning and sharing across regions.
The organisation supports infectious disease professionals to develop their skills, conduct groundbreaking scientific research and expand their horizons. ISID has partnered with several institutions, including the Gates Foundation, to provide grants for researchers from low- and lower middle-income countries to conduct novel research, mentored by ISID members from around the world.
Advocacy and policy leadership in infectious diseases
In advocacy, ISID works to develop and support the policies the world needs to fight infectious diseases. Its advocacy programme encourages collaboration between researchers, clinicians and public health practitioners in the global One Health community.
It also supports peer-to-peer exchange of scientific knowledge and the application of evidence-based medicine and public health best practice. ISID commemorates several World Health Days with an infectious diseases focus, advocating for an equitable and sustainable world.
Strengthening global preparedness for future pandemics
ISID continues to play a leading role in global infectious disease surveillance, education and advocacy. Strengthening international collaboration, preparedness and rapid response mechanisms remains essential for preventing and controlling future outbreaks.
Sustained global engagement through initiatives such as ISID is vital to building a resilient and well-coordinated response to emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats, particularly in low-resource settings.
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Cite: Strengthening global infectious disease control: Insights from ISID. touchINFECTIOUS DISEASES. 07 May 2026.
Editor: Katey Gabrysch, Editorial Director.
Disclosures:
The content was developed and edited by human editors. No fees or funding were associated with its publication. touchINFECTIOUS DISEASES utilize AI as an editorial tool (ChatGPT (GPT-4o) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat).
This content has been developed independently by Touch Medical Media for touchINFECTIOUS DISEASES in collaboration with ISID. Views expressed are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Touch Medical Media.Â
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