Uganda International Center for Excellence in Research

National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Emerging/re-emerging zoonotic diseases are a major global health problem. Linking comprehensive pathogen surveillance of arthropod/vector populations in Uganda with public health surveillance at the regional and international level will make an important contribution to human and animal health in East Africa and the One World One Health concept in general. There will be a focus on rodent-borne pathogens potentially causing disease in humans, wildlife and livestock. A more comprehensive understanding of the ecology of known and unknown rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens is essential for a risk assessment for local and global human and animal health. The establishment of emerging/re-emerging virus program on the campus of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Entebbe, Uganda is ongoing. Rakia is still considered as a second program site in Uganda. Despite major delays, we finally have procured most of the necessary equipment which will be shipped to Uganda in the following fiscal year. We continued the process of developing and establishing molecular and serological detection assays for several pathogens including arenaviruses, bunyaviruses, coronaviruses filoviruses, and flaviviruses. The new Ebola virus outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the continuing MERS-coronavirus cases in the Middle East, the ongoing Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria, and the response to Zika virus have resulted in major delays of this project. Plans for field work and setting up the laboratory sites have resumed lately. We have started contacting the regional health authorities in regard to our activities.