果冻影院

A research network across Africa and the UK is changing how pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis are monitored and treated to enhance vaccination programmes and reduce infant mortality.

Each year more than two million people, mainly in Africa, die from pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis. Vaccines help to control the spread of the microbes that cause these diseases, but getting them to the people who need them most and putting in place other measures are to reduce the spread of disease, has proved challenging.

鈥淭hese life-threatening diseases can be caused by mucosal pathogens 鈥� microbes that live in the nose, throat and other mucus membranes,鈥� explains Professor Robert Heyderman (果冻影院 Infection & Immunity) who directs 果冻影院鈥檚 Mucosal Pathogen Research Unit (MPRU).

The MPRU has developed a new programme to establish and coordinate equitable research partnerships between African centres of excellence and UK universities that are set to help reduce disease burden and address what is a major public health priority for low- and middle-income African countries.

鈥�鈥淏y bringing together African and UK partners we are creating unique synergies that will help interrupt transmission and reduce disease burden across Africa in a sustainable way.鈥�

The collaborations between more than 25 senior investigators across the UK and partners in The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, South Africa, C么te d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda will help prevent life-threatening diseases in ways that could not be achieved by individual investigators or institutions.

Four hubs of expertise are being developed to ensure advances in research translate into improvements in public health. To ensure people鈥檚 experiences and needs are considered when developing public health policies, the MPRU is encouraging African-led partnerships with strong community involvement, helping to develop two-way dialogue between policymakers and the public.

Teams across the network are evaluating vaccine uptake and safety; developing clinical trials and feasibility studies for new and existing treatments; and investigating how people develop immunity to disease. The network of experts is also supporting and mentoring early career researchers in African countries.

鈥淏y bringing together African and UK partners to interrogate the biology, epidemiology, diagnosis and prevention of common mucosal pathogens, we are creating unique synergies that will help interrupt transmission and reduce disease burden across Africa in a sustainable way,鈥� Professor Heyderman explains.