NIH’s termination of the CREID network ended PICREID, a cross-country effort to track high-risk viruses and strengthen outbreak response across West and Central Africa and Southeast Asia.
Cameroon
Thailand
Japan
Senegal
Cambodia
Canada
Turkey
Germany
When NIH terminated the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases (CREID) network in June 2025, it ended support for the Pasteur International Center for Research on Emerging Diseases (PICREID), halting an intercontinental One Health effort designed to improve rapid outbreak response capacity across West and Central Africa and Southeast Asia. PICREID focused on high‑risk RNA viruses such as Rift Valley fever, Crimean‑Congo hemorrhagic fever, and dengue, while also strengthening detection of unknown “Disease X” threats through surveillance and vector sampling. It advanced field-ready diagnostics, improved understanding of transmission patterns, and insights into how diseases develop and progress in the human body and how the immune system response, knowledge critical for developing countermeasures. The termination undermined a coordinated approach intended to build cross-border infrastructure and shared methods to accelerate detection and response while generating knowledge to inform prevention and treatment.
The CREID network was established by NIH in 2020 to build outbreak-ready surveillance and research capacity in regions where emerging epidemics are most likely to occur. Through nine research centers, a coordinating center, and more than 100 sites worldwide, CREID linked multidisciplinary teams to study disease transmission dynamics, strengthen local preparedness, and develop improved tools and early warning systems. Its capabilities supported responses to COVID-19 and to outbreaks of Lassa fever, mpox, and other high-consequence pathogens. By operating as a coordinated network, CREID enabled faster sharing of data, specimens, methods, and technical expertise—capabilities that individual projects often cannot sustain. When the centers were terminated in June 2025, the loss was not just individual centers, but a coordinated early-warning and response architecture that supported partners abroad and US preparedness at home.
PICREID was led by the Institut Pastuer (France) in collaboration with partners across Cameroon, Thailand, Japan, Senegal, Cambodia, Canada, Turkey, and Germany.