Projekt

Daten zum Projekt

Molecular characterisation and estimation of public health relevance of hemorrhagic fever viruses circulating in Ghana and Nigeria

Initiative: Wissen für morgen – Kooperative Forschungsvorhaben im subsaharischen Afrika (beendet)
Ausschreibung: Tropical Medicine 2004
Bewilligung: 15.12.2006
Laufzeit: 3 Jahre

Projektinformationen

Lassa virus and other viruses causing hemorrhagic fever (VHF) are prevalent in West Africa and led to outbreaks with considerable morbidity and mortality in the past. However, up-to-date information on prevalence and geographic distribution of these viruses is largely lacking. Molecular tools to diagnose Lassa fever and other VHF are not established in Nigeria and Ghana, and national research programmes aiming at identifying and characterising VHF agents, as well as estimating their public health relevance do not exist. Therefore, through the project state-of-the-art technologies for virus detections will be transferred from the German partner institution to their African counterparts. Also, the respective molecular tools will be used to detect and identify Lassa and VHF in Nigeria and Ghana. The information gained through the project will be made available to local and regional public health authorities and the World Health Organisation.

Projektbeteiligte

  • Prof. Dr. Stephan Günther

    Bernhard-Nocht-Institut
    für Tropenmedizin (BNITM)
    Abteilung Virologie
    Hamburg

  • Prof. Dr. Sunday Aremu Omilabu

    University of Lagos
    College of Medicine
    Department of Medical Microbiology
    and Parasitology
    Virology Research Unit
    Idi-Araba, Lagos
    Nigeria

  • Dr. Mubarak Osei-Kwasi

    University of Ghana
    College of Medical Sciences
    Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research
    Legon
    Ghana

  • Dr. Christian Drosten

    Bernhard-Nocht-Institut
    für Tropenmedizin (BNITM)
    Sektion Medizinische Mikrobiologie
    Arbeitsgruppe für Klinische Virologie
    Hamburg