OGUN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Not-for-profit organisations LifeArc and FIND, today announced a £6.2M project to improve diagnostic testing and treatment for visceral leishmaniasis in Kenya.
Visceral leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease targeted by the World Health Organisation for elimination by 2030, visceral leishmaniasis is the deadliest form of leishmaniasis, mainly affecting children and fatal in over 95% of cases if left untreated.
“A new £6.2M healthcare project has begun in Kenya to advance elimination of visceral leishmaniasis, a deadly parasitic disease found in Africa, the Americas (particularly Brazil), the Middle East and South-East Asia, which affects up to 90,000 children and vulnerable people globally.
The self-funded, not-for-profit medical research organisation, LifeArc has joined forces with FIND to improve the detection and treatment of visceral leishmaniasis through a project called ‘Intensifying Visceral Leishmaniasis Diagnostic Efforts in Support of Disease Elimination in Kenya”
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“It will build on ongoing efforts to improve community awareness, boosting testing capacity both locally and nationally, and strengthening the capacity of the health system to ensure faster diagnosis and treatment.
“Crucially, the project will also accelerate development of novel tests for the disease, addressing the need for sensitive diagnostic procedures that can support more intense control measures.”
Head of Global Health at LifeArc, Dr Mike Strange explains: “LifeArc is committed to progressing innovations in areas of unmet medical need, including neglected tropical diseases such as visceral leishmaniasis. Partnering with FIND to support the implementation of existing tools, as well as helping move forward new and improved diagnostic tests, represents a real opportunity to make a step-change and contribute towards eliminating this fatal disease in Kenya.”
Director of Neglected Tropical Diseases at FIND, Ms Helen Bokea says: “FIND is committed to working with countries and communities to defeat this deadly disease, by boosting testing capacity so that infections can be identified early, and lives can be saved. The clock is ticking on the 2030 WHO elimination target, and this partnership with LifeArc will provide a major boost to help accelerate progress.”
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The project is part of LifeArc’s Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Translational Challenge which aims to support the elimination and control of neglected tropical diseases through the translation, development and implementation of new diagnostics and therapeutics.
FIND’s neglected tropical diseases programme is working to close multiple diagnostic gaps that are jeopardizing achievement of the targets set out in the WHO 2030 Roadmap.