The Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) project has been launched at UVRI to emerging infectious diseases, especially those transmitted from animals to humans, as well as to pose an increasing threat to global health. This project looks at how changes in biodiversity particularly among viruses – may be influencing the risk of new diseases emerging.
Researchers propose that having a range of related but harmless viruses circulating in nature might actually protect humans and animals. These “harmless cousins” can stimulate immune systems to build up broad protection. Without them, immune defences might be weaker, making it easier for more dangerous viruses to spread and cause outbreaks.
The project focuses on a group of viruses called nairoviruses, which include serious threats like the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), which can cause deadly diseases in humans and is spreading into new areas, including parts of Europe.
While officiating the project launch on Wednesday, Dr Charles Olaro, the director of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, highlighted that Crimean-Congo is one of the haemorrhagic fevers which has been very rampant available and most times, they would want to understand the extent of its existence in the country.
“As we were responding to the Ebola Sudan virus outbreak, we also recorded a case of Crimean-Congo in Kyegegwa which was managed successfully in Fortpotal regional referral hospitals. These outbreaks have been frequent, particularly looking at the areas of the cattle corridor. So the study will be able to tell us with the magnitude but also look at how we can be able to deploy our resources to be able to manage it,” he said.
The director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Professor Pontiano Kaleebu, expressed enthusiasm that the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) programme will continue this legacy by addressing the complexity of tick-borne diseases, especially CCHFV, through advanced methods like landscape genomics, field epidemiology and social science studies.
He also acknowledged the pivotal role of young scientists, collaborators from MRC/UVRI, One Health consortium, and global partners in this new effort, saying, “UVRI is proud to host the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) programme and looks forward to the discoveries and solutions that will arise.”
Professor Kaleebu also stressed how UVRI’s work has evolved from discovery to a detailed understanding of virus ecology, host-pathogen interaction and public health application, and therefore pledged total commitment and support towards this project.
Prof. Julius Lutwama from the Department of Arbovirology, Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases at UVRI, Entebbe, explained that such research initiatives aimed at understanding and managing tick-borne diseases in terms of multidisciplinary approaches combine fieldwork, molecular techniques, and international collaborations.
In addition, he noted that a lot needs to be done to deal with these diseases, saying, “At UVRI, we have done a lot of work with tick-borne diseases and the ticks themselves, and there’s a lot much more that needs to be done.”
“The major implications from UVRI studies is that they reflect UVRI’s pivotal role in addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by tick-borne diseases in Uganda. So the work at the institute is setting the stage for integrated approaches, including innovative vaccine development, enhanced surveillance systems, and cross-sector capacity,” Prof. Lutwama added.
Major parts of the project;
Experimental infection studies: Researchers will infect sheep with a relatively mild virus (Nairobi Sheep Disease Virus) to see how prior exposure to related viruses affects disease severity and the ability of the virus to spread via ticks, to show that prior infection with similar viruses reduces how sick animals get and how much virus they pass to ticks.
Field studies in Uganda: This involves the study of tick and livestock populations across Uganda to map virus, diversity, looking at how the presence or absence of different viruses affects infection rates in livestock, ticks, and people.
Mathematical modelling: Using experimental and field data, researchers will build models to predict how virus diversity influences the chances of new diseases emerging. The models will help them understand when and where outbreaks are most likely.
Vaccine development: This involves testing the idea of “portfolio vaccines” – vaccines made from multiple related viruses to see if they can give broader protection, even against viruses that haven’t yet emerged.
Why the project matters;
If successful, researchers’ work could change how they think about pandemic prevention. Instead of waiting for a dangerous virus to appear, researchers might protect populations in advance by maintaining or even boosting immunity to whole families of viruses. It also opens up new strategies for vaccines – protecting not just against known viruses, but against unknown future threats as well.
During the same engagement, Professor Moffat Nyirenda, the Director of MRC, emphasized the collaboration among the institutions, highlighting that the launch of the project builds a strong foundation for collaboration and support from both MRC, UVRI, and US funders.
Meanwhile, researchers have already assembled an international, multidisciplinary team including field ecologists, virologists, immunologists, and mathematical modellers from the UK, USA, Kenya, and Uganda to tackle one of the most urgent scientific challenges of understanding and preventing the next viral pandemic.
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