TEHRAN – Mario Moreira, Chairman of the Pasteur Network, expressed concern over the destruction of the Pasteur Institute in Iran, which was targeted by US and Israeli airstrikes on April 2, and warned of potential regional consequences as it disrupts the main role of this century-old pillar of global health: prevention and control of existing and growing health threats in the region.
“The reported damage to Iran’s Pasteur Institute is extremely concerning. This institution plays a critical role in supporting the health of people in Iran and the region. Any disruption to such capabilities could affect diagnostics, surveillance, and response to ongoing and emerging threats, with potential implications for health security beyond borders,” Moreira stressed.
International scientific reporting, including reports in Science Magazine, has highlighted the impact of escalating hostilities on Iranian universities and research institutions, including the impact on academic and public health infrastructure.
The Pasteur Network is a coalition of 32 organizations that play a critical role in addressing global health challenges through science, innovation and public health. Its distinctive strength lies in the diversity and geographical breadth of its membership, spanning 25 countries on five continents, united by common values and a mission for the benefit of its peoples, and fostering a dynamic community of scientific knowledge and expertise that is both locally rooted and globally connected.
Founded in 1920, the Pasteur Institute of Iran is a long-standing member of the Pasteur Network. The Institute contributes to national, regional and global public health through national reference laboratories, WHO collaborating centres, disease surveillance and diagnosis, biobanks and the production of essential medical countermeasures.
Damage to or disruption to such infrastructure can have repercussions beyond borders. Impacts on public health agencies and surveillance systems can reduce the ability to detect outbreaks, disrupt critical public health functions, and reduce preparedness against emerging infectious disease threats. These challenges are directly relevant to broader considerations of regional and global health security.
Protecting health and scientific institutions is widely recognized as critical to safeguarding critical public health functions, especially during times of crisis. Maintaining the continuity of such institutions supports not only national health systems but also collective efforts to prevent and respond to transnational health threats.
The Pasteur Network notes the growing international interest in the protection of health and scientific institutions and commends the efforts of the Pasteur Institute staff in Iran to maintain essential diagnostic and public health functions under difficult circumstances.
The Pasteur Network expresses its support for our colleagues at the Pasteur Institute of Iran and reaffirms our commitment to the continuation of important public health functions, scientific cooperation, and the protection of health and research institutions around the world.
After being targeted by the US-Israel coalition, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that Iran’s Institut Pasteur, the country’s oldest medical research center, is impacting the conflict in Iran and the region, impacting the delivery of health services and the safety of health workers, patients and civilians in health facilities.
“Several health incidents have been reported in Iran’s capital Tehran in recent days as conflict intensifies in the Middle East.
“Iran’s Pasteur Institute has suffered significant damage and is unable to continue providing medical services,” he wrote in X on April 3.
“The institute was founded in 1920 and has been active in multiple areas of medical research for more than a century. It plays a vital role in protecting and promoting the health of the population, including in emergencies. Two of its divisions work with WHO as collaborating centers.”
Meanwhile, President Massoud Pezeshkian called on international health organizations and doctors around the world to respond to what he called “crimes against humanity” following attacks on Iranian medical facilities.
“What message does attacking hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and the Pasteur Institute (in Iran), Iran’s medical research center, send?” Pezeshikian wrote about X.
“As a professional physician, I urge the WHO, the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, and doctors around the world to respond to this crime against humanity,” he added.
In a separate statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai condemned the airstrike as a “disastrous, cruel, despicable and completely outrageous act.”
“The American and Israeli invaders attacked Iran’s Pasteur Institute, the oldest and most prestigious research and public health center in Iran and the entire Middle East, established in 1920 under an agreement between the Pasteur Institute in Paris and the Iranian government,” Baghai said in X.
In addition to Iran’s Pasteur Institute, other medical infrastructure has also been destroyed in illegal strikes. The Delaram Sina Psychiatric Hospital was heavily damaged in a strike on March 29, and the Tofi Dal pharmaceutical facility, which manufactured drugs to treat cancer and multiple sclerosis, was also damaged in a separate attack on March 31. No casualties were reported from these incidents.
Since March 1, WHO has confirmed more than 20 attacks on Iranian healthcare, resulting in the deaths of at least nine people, including infectious disease health workers and members of the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
Health hazards have also been recorded outside Tehran, with an explosion near Imam Ali Hospital in Andimeshk, Khuzestan province on March 21, leading to the evacuation of the facility and the suspension of services.
The conflict in Iran and the region is impacting the delivery of health services and the safety of health workers, patients, and civilians in health facilities. Peace is the best medicine. ”