UG hosts tropical disease research development workshop

Oct 15, 2010 News

—Hopes to secure funding to examine prevalence of three main infections
With the intent of supporting the Ministry of Health in addressing the challenge created by the existence of tropical diseases, the University of Guyana on Wednesday commenced a three-day workshop geared at addressing the importance of Tropical Disease Research.
The workshop is being held at the Regency Hotel, Hadfield Street, Georgetown, under the theme “Anticipating effects of imminent ecological and demographic changes on the epidemiology of three endemic vector borne diseases in Guyana”.

A section of the gathering at the opening of the workshop

The technical-natured workshop, which is being hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, is geared at preparing a grant proposal to the World Health Organisation’s Tropical Disease Research Programme (WHO/TDR) for funding of a three-year study of three tropical diseases found in the Amazon basin area, according to Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr Emanuel Cummings.
The proposed grant is valued at US$210,000 and according to Dr Cummings, it is intended to address the presence of Dengue Fever, Chagas Disease and Leishmaniasis, commonly referred to as ‘Bush Yaws’, all of which are present in Guyana but require much investigation.
The proposal, Dr Cummings explained, will seek to conduct surveys for the identified diseases, their impact and the identification of insect vectors which may cause their transmission from person to person in Guyana.
“It is expected to be a project in which the training capacity of the University’s Faculty of Health and Natural Sciences will be enhanced, along with the improvement of the institution’s laboratory facilities for training which will include parasitology and tropical diseases,” he added.
The workshop was streamlined with the collaborative effort of specialists from various faculties within the University. The principal investigator for the project is Dr Lloyd Validum, a Malariologist who lectures within the University’s Medical School and the co-principal investigator and other investigators include Dr Anthony De Freitas, Ms Ede Tyrell, Dr Elroy Charles, Mr Calvin Bernard, Ms Tabitha Mallampati, Mr Vincent Raja, Ms Fiona Griffith-Wills, Dr Colin Roach, Dr Cummings, among others.
And the project will be so designed that it will seek to establish collaborative links with the Ministry of Health, the National Public Health Laboratory, among other local agencies as well as inter-regional and overseas agencies such as the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) in Trinidad and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
And since the workshop is intended to refine and modify a previously prepared research project proposal, UG’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Mr Tota Mangar, asserted that PAHO and WHO are key players for the provision of both technical and financial support.
Once the proposal is approved and financially supported, Mangar disclosed that the University will be in a better position to determine the prevalence of the diseases evaluate capable vectors and to establish psychology, immunology and tropical diseases laboratory within the Faculty of Health Sciences. In addition it is expected that a computerised epidemiology module will be created for the Faculty of Health Sciences Core Courses even as there is the upgrading of skills for the university’s academic staff and the provision of training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate alumni.
“In short this proposed study will provide current information for national health care intervention through investigations in defined areas of Guyana…assessing prevalence of the diseases, occurrence of their vectors and community awareness while establishing a research group at the university with links to national and international institutions to improve training capacity and enhance research.”
According to Mangar, there is no doubt that the proposed research is a tangible way of meeting societal challenges as it relates to tropical diseases at this point in history.
The opening ceremony of the workshop was graced by Ministers of Health Drs Leslie Ramsammy and Bheri Ramsaran. Speaking on behalf of the Ministry, Minister Ramsammy, said that the Ministry will support and partner the venture even as it anticipates that the end result of the research will add to the compendium of knowledge and lead to interventions that will improve health outcomes.
“Only a stupid Minister of Health would not want to support this initiative and indeed from day one the Ministry of Health has been behind this project…This is Guyana’s project and the University of Guyana is doing what it ought to do…and we are happy that it is being seen in this light…”
The participants at the workshop include Faculty Staff of the University, Ministry of Health officials, Dr Edward Kamau of WHO/TDR; Dra Maria Patricia Arbelaez-Montoya, Epidemiologist from Columbia; Dr Oscar Daniel Salomon, Entomologist and Dr Laura-Lee Boodram, Technical Coordinator of Molecular Biology within CAREC.
The sessions are being focused on determining Guyana’s needs as perceived by collaborating agencies through review of current information: prevalence both historical and current of the target diseases and vectors; review of the technical and academic capacities of collaborators and the fostering of technical capacity building needs of the University and relationship with collaborating agencies.