Coutinho has been director of the CIDC since January 2005 and his main responsibility has been to set up a new control structure for infectious diseases. Zoonoses are by far the greatest threat, and there is considerable conflict between the interests of agriculture (a melting pot for infectious agents) and of public health. Notorious cases are MRSA and Q fever bacteria (Coutinho 25 July 2008) . Coutinho is caught in the middle of both ministries, and acts as a kind of buffer. Whenever there is an outbreak, Coutinho and his centre are on top of it, with regard both to outbreak management and to public communication. The CIDC has the data, the expertise and the responsibility to do so. He is still a spokesman and translator, but now under ministerial responsibility.