On November 17, 2025, Dr. Benedetta Allegranzi, Director of the Communicable Diseases Control (DCD) division at the World Health Organization for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO-EMRO), led a delegation from the WHO Country Office on a visit to the Pasteur Institute of Iran. The primary objective of the visit was to gain insight into the Institute's scientific capacities and specialized capabilities in diagnosing and combating infectious diseases. 

During the meeting, Dr. Ehsan Mostafavi, Director General of the Pasteur Institute of Iran, underscored the critical importance of human resource capacity building and expanded scientific collaboration with the WHO. He detailed the Institute's ongoing and historical missions in the surveillance, control, and confrontation of infectious disease threats.

The delegation toured the Institute's national reference laboratories, observing first-hand the diagnostic procedures and service provision for a range of pathogens. These included the Rabies Department, the Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Department, as well as COVID-19, Rapid Response Laboratory for Infectious Diseases  and Pertussis, Anthrax, Botulism, and Leptospirosis laboratories. The visit also featured a review of two WHO Collaborating Centers hosted at the Institute: the WHO Collaborating Centre for Rabies and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Vector-Borne Diseases.

In a concluding technical meeting, the WHO delegation underscored the importance of strengthening regional cooperation. Such collaboration is expected to foster technical and specialized synergy with the Pasteur Institute of Iran, ultimately enhancing collective preparedness and capacity to respond to potential public health crises.