Epidemiology of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in Uganda (PANDORA: CCHF Study)
Project Summary
Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a widely spread tick-borne viral haemorrhagic infection affecting populations in the affecting humans and livestock in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asia. The public health importance of CCHF is due to its vast geographic distribution, emergency in new regions, high degree of genetic diversity and high infectiousness.
CCHF outbreaks in Africa are largely undetected and underreported. Since 2013, several confirmed CCHF outbreaks have been reported in Uganda. However, data on the burden, risk factors and genetic diversity of CCHF virus are lacking.
This collaborative study between the University College of London (UCL) and the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) seeks to recruit livestock at major slaughterhouses in Kampala, Uganda and human working in the livestock industry in Uganda, to understand the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of CCHF virus.
This study is supported through the Pan-African Network for Rapid Research, Response, Relief and Preparedness for Infectious Diseases Epidemics (PANDORA-ID-NET): a one health consortium of 15 African and 9 European countries.
Key Project Information
Dates: 2nd January 2020 to 30th June 2020
Status: Proposed
UCL lead/Principal Investigator: Dr Nigel Field
Partners: The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Entebbe, Uganda
Contact: Dr Nigel Field, nigel.field@ucl.ac.uk
Dr Nigel Field (Associate Professor, Director of the UCL Centre for Molecular Epidemiology and Translational Research)
Dr Swaib Lule (Epidemiologist, PANDORA emerging Infections Programme, UCL Institute for Global Health)
Professor Kate Jones (Chair of Ecology and Biodiversity, CEBR, UCL)
Dr Julius Lutwama (Deputy Director and Head, Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases, Uganda Virus Research Institute)
Dr Luke Nyakarahuka, (Epidemiologist, Uganda Virus Research Institute)
Dennison Kizito, (Laboratory Scientist, Immunology Laboratory, Uganda Virus Research Institute)
Stephen Balinandi (Laboratory Scientist, Department of Emerging and Re-emerging zoonotic infections, Uganda Virus Research Institute)
Professor Ibrahim Abubakar, (UCL Institute for Global Health)
Vanessa Hack (Project Manager, UCL Institute for Global Health)