Establishment of a One-Health research network for controlling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Collaborative Research between
Zambia, Malawi and Japan
Goal of the project
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a group of illnesses that disproportionately affect impoverished communities, and have been largely overlooked, impairing human health and well-being. It is an international responsibility to urgently establish sustainable control schemes for these diseases. Many NTDs are caused by parasitic infections, and a One-Health control approach, which reduces human infection risk through control of animal reservoirs and hematophagous arthropod vectors, is effective for their countermeasures. However, in Sub-Saharan African regions, even basic epidemiological surveys on disease prevalence are insufficient, leading to an overwhelming lack of academic infrastructure for implementing countermeasures. This project aims to form an academic research exchange network in this field, and establishing a NTDs research hub that will promote innovative epidemiological research and lead One-Health control of NTDs. Specifically in this project, the project will first focus on three highly fatal zoonotic parasitic diseases: Leishmaniasis, African Trypanosomiasis, and Echinococcosis, but other NTDs will be also studied. From extensive epidemiological survey, we aim to identify the transmission cycle of these NTDs, and will propose a sustainable evidence-based control measures.
Funding: JSPS Core-to-Core Program (April 2025 - Mar 2028)
About the Neglected Tropical Diseases
Echinococcosis/Taeniasis
African Trypanosomiasis
Leishmaniasis
