Researchers from the UK, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia are teaming up to better understand and diagnose acute fevers that kill millions of children in sub-Saharan Africa each year.
In sub-Saharan Africa, illnesses characterised by acute fever account for 40% of child deaths, equating to 1.2 million lives lost each year in the region. Growing awareness of the animal origins of many human diseases has highlighted their importance as causes of acute fever. However, diagnosis of these so-called 'zoonotic infections' is difficult in this setting and children are often presumed to have malaria or a bacterial bloodstream infection and treated accordingly. This results in inappropriate treatment, contributing to preventable deaths and rising antimicrobial resistance.
NIHR has awarded £2.7m to researchers to form the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Zoonotic Causes of Acute Febrile Illness. Made up of researchers from the UK (University of Liverpool, and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine); Uganda (Kabale University, and Makerere University); Kenya (University of Nairobi, and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)); and Ethiopia (Addis Ababa University, and ILRI), their aim is to reduce the number of childhood deaths due to zoonotic infections by:
1) Understanding which are the most common zoonotic infections;
2) Developing new, effective tests for zoonotic infections; and
3) Creating evidence-based guidelines for healthcare professionals diagnosing and treating zoonotic infections.
In addition to conducting research, the group will undertake capacity strengthening, and community engagement activities to empower local institutions and populations to prevent and detect zoonotic infections. The group will target rural areas and informal urban settlements where livestock-keeping and environmental conditions contribute to enhanced zoonotic risk.
The Group's Director, Professor Siobhan Mor, from the University of Liverpool's Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences and jointly appointed principal scientist at ILRI in Kenya said: "As a veterinarian by background, it is exciting to be working together with paediatricians, social scientists and experts in infectious disease research and diagnostics development, to tackle a neglected problem which causes so many preventable child deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.
"Over the next 4 years we will collaborate, sharing experience and on-the-ground knowledge to enhance in-country capacity to diagnose zoonotic infections and contribute new tests for these diseases. Ultimately the project will contribute to improved diagnosis and management of acute fever in child patients, which in turn will enhance detection and reporting of zoonotic infections."
