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Overseas Field
Stations
Kenya
Field Station
MERTU/G
Kenya Field
Station
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s Kenya Field Station is a research unit of the
Division of Parasitic Diseases, NCID. The field station works in
collaboration with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), which is
a part of the Kenya Ministry of Research, Technical Training, and
Technology. This collaboration began in 1979 and currently CDC works
closely with two of KEMRI’s centers: The Centre for Biomedical Sciences
Research in Nairobi and the Centre for Vector Biology and Control Research
in Kisumu, Western Kenya.
The major CDC/KEMRI
objectives include the following.
- Conduct research on
malaria, schistosomiasis, HIV infection, diarrheal disease, and other
emerging infectious diseases of public health importance.
- Disseminate the
results of research activities through presentation at scientific and
policy meetings in Kenya and throughout the world, and through
publication in international scientific journals.
- Train Kenyan
scientists at the master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral levels.
- Advise the Kenya
Ministry of Health on issues related to control of malaria,
schistosomiasis, and HIV infection.
To this end,
collaborative links have been developed with NCID’s Division of
Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, Division of Viral and Rickettsial
Diseases, Division of AIDS, STD, and TB Laboratory Research as well as the
National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention. In addition, established
links with other institutions within Kenya have been developed, including
the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the KEMRI/Wellcome Trust
Research Laboratory. During FY ‘98, the field station provided training
to two postdoctoral, six doctoral, and three masters’ degree-level
Kenyan students.
During FY ‘98, the
field station either continued or began the following major projects.
- A study to assess the
efficacy of insecticide-treated bed nets for reduction of
malaria-related child mortality in an area of very high malaria
transmission. The study area covers a population of 125,000 and an area
of 500 square km.
- A village-based study
on the development of natural immunity to malaria in young children.
Results of this study have been incorporated into the development of a
promising candidate malaria vaccine, CDC/MALVACI.
- A hospital-based
study to determine whether HIV-positive pregnant women with placental
malaria infection are more likely to transmit HIV to their infants and
whether malaria induces progression of HIV-related immunsuppression in
infants during the first year of life.
- Community and
hospital-based studies to assess the burden of anemia in young children
and pregnant women and to evaluate methods to control anemia in these
target groups.
- A study to assess
whether HIV-infected children have persistent shedding of polio and/or
measles vaccine post-immunization.
- Surveillance of
emerging drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum, particularly in
relation to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.
- Studies of mosquito
genetics, behavior, and insecticide resistance, for development of
better long-term vector control methods.
- A study of the immune
responses to infection with schistosomiasis in persons with HIV
infection, as well as the efficacy of treatment of schistosomiasis in
these persons.
- Evaluation of whether
schistosomiasis infection exacerbates viral progression in persons with
HIV infection.
- Surveillance of
emerging enteric pathogens (e.g., Shigella dysenteriae type 1, Vibrio
cholera, E. coli 0157:H7) and the antimicrobial sensitivity
of these organisms.
New areas of research
in Western Kenya include disease overlap issues related to HIV infection
and both malaria and schistosomiasis, the use of geographic information
systems as a tool to augment analysis of spatial and temporal clustering
of health events related to malaria transmission, and studies of
population genetics of both Plasmodium falciparum and Anopheles
gambiae complex malaria vectors.
The CDC/KEMRI staff
also work with the Kenya Ministry of Health to develop training tools for
new malaria care management guidelines and for control of malaria in
pregnant women.
Medical
Entomology Research and Training Unit Guatemala (MERTU/G)
The Medical
Entomology Research and Training Unit/Guatemala (MERTU/G) is a research
unit of the Division of Parasitic Disease, National Center for Infectious
Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It was
established in 1978 under a tripartite agreement with the Universidad del
Valle de Guatemala (UVG), the Guatemalan Ministry of Health, and CDC. The
offices and laboratories are located on the campus of the UVG in Guatemala
City. MERTU/G receives administrative support from the U.S. Embassy and
collaborates directly with the Center for Health Studies of UVG and the
Ministry of Health.
The objectives of MERTU/G
are to conduct field and laboratory research on important human parasitic
diseases, and to train students and public health professionals in basic
and applied public health research topics. Practical studies are
emphasized with the prospect of rapid incorporation of results into the
operational procedures of vector control programs and other public health
activities. MERTU/G staff evaluate new methods and technologies for
improving surveillance, gaining community participation in control
efforts, improving diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately, controlling
and preventing disease. Particular emphasis is placed in training programs
for the development of national expertise in Central America in
epidemiology, entomology, social science, and control-related laboratory
research methods.
At present, MERTU/G has
active research programs in malaria, waterborne diseases, helminthic
infections, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and onchocerciasis. MERTU/G
scientists are activity involved in the design and implementation of a
National Program for the Control and Prevention of Chagas Disease within
the Central American initiative, including vector and blood bank studies.
In addition, MERTU/G has been designated the regional mapping center for
the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program in the Americas. In this context,
MERTU/G staff conduct training programs in the use of geographic
information systems and produce maps and other materials to support
national programs for the elimination of onchocerciasis in the Americas.
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