[afro-nets] New lab boosts disease research in East Africa

[Leela McCullough <leela@healthnet.org>]

New lab boosts disease research in East Africa
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Ochieng' Ogodo
31 January 2007
Source: SciDev.Net

http://www.scidev.net/dossiers/index.cfm?fuseaction=dossierReadItem&type=1&itemid=3377&language=1&dossier=22&CFID=2461441&CFTOKEN=72997239

A new state-of-the-art laboratory, due to open in July in
Nairobi, will boost HIV research and improve the safe handling
of highly contagious pathogens in East Africa.

The US$3.39 million International Infectious Diseases Center
(IIDC) will include a retrovirology lab for research and
diagnosis of infectious diseases ­ including HIV/AIDS ­ and an
advanced biosafety containment facility for investigating
viruses that cause haemorrhagic fever.

The lab will be part of the University of Nairobi's Institute of
Tropical and Infectious Diseases, and is a joint project between
the University of Nairobi and the University of Manitoba,
Canada.

David Mburu, manager of the IIDC, said the centre would be an
important resource for the East and Central African region,
which is short of facilities to diagnose and handle emerging,
highly pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses that cause
haemorrhagic fever.

Keith Fowke, of the University of Manitoba, said the facility
would provide "a cutting-edge HIV research laboratory capable of
performing studies on virology, immunology and genetics right
here in East Africa, in the heart of the HIV epidemic".

He said it would also be useful as a training centre for African
researchers.

Fowke pointed out that the lab would be one of only three
advanced facilities for diagnosing haemorrhagic fever in Africa,
with the others located in Gabon and South Africa.

He hopes it will cut the time it takes to diagnose haemorrhagic
virus infections and shorten outbreaks of disease.
The joint-project was originally established to study the
sexually transmitted disease chancroid, but was later expanded
to include other sexually transmitted infections such as
HIV/AIDS.

--
Leela McCullough, Ed.D.
Director of Information Services
AED-SATELLIFE Center for Health Information and Technology
30 California Street, Watertown, MA 02472, USA
Tel: +1-617-926-9400
Fax: +1-617-926-1212
mailto:lmccullough@aed.org
http://www.healthnet.org