UVRI | |
![]() The Uganda Virus Research Institute in 2018 | |
Medical Research Institute overview | |
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Formed | January 1, 1936 |
Type | Medical Research Institute |
Jurisdiction | Government of Uganda |
Headquarters | 51-59 Nakiwogo Road, Entebbe, Uganda |
Medical Research Institute executive |
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Website | Homepage |
The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) is a medical research institute owned by the Uganda government that carries out research on communicable diseases in man and animals, with emphasis on viral transmitted infections. UVRI is a component of Uganda National Health Research Organization (UNHRO), an umbrella organization for health research within Uganda. [1]
UVRI is located at 51-59 Nakiwogo Road, in Entebbe, Uganda, approximately 36 kilometres (22 mi), south of Kampala, the capital and largest city in Uganda. [2] The coordinates of the institute are: 0°04'33.0"N, 32°27'26.0"E (Latitude:0.075833; Longitude:32.457222). [3]
The organisation was established in 1936 as the Yellow Fever Research Institute by the Rockefeller Foundation. In 1947, scientists researching yellow fever placed a rhesus macaque in a cage in the Zika Forest. The monkey developed a fever, and researchers isolated from its serum a transmissible agent that was first described as Zika virus in 1952. [4] Other noteworthy arboviruses discovered at the institute include Chikungunya virus, West Nile virus, Bwamba virus, Semliki Forest virus, O'nyong'nyong virus, and Kadam virus. [5] [6]
In 1950, after gaining regional recognition, the institute was renamed the East African Virus Research Institute, under which identity many of its noteworthy accomplishments were published. In 1977, it was reorganized under its current name. [5]
After the collapse of the East African Community in 1977, it became a Ugandan government public health research institution and was renamed the Uganda Virus Research Institute. The government of Uganda administers and funds the UVRI through the Uganda National Health Research Organization, which is an umbrella research body within the Uganda Ministry of Health. [1]
The mission of UVRI is to carry out scientific research concerning communicable diseases, especially viral diseases of public health importance, and to advise the government on strategies for control and prevention. [1]
UVRI also plays a large role in coordinating and administering virology related clinical trials within the country. Most recently, UVRI has been involved in human HIV vaccine clinical trials. The HIV/AIDS Reference and Quality Assurance Laboratory, which is part of UVRI, plays an important role in making public policy recommendations to the National Food and Drug Authority on the access and usage of new drugs and medical technologies. [1] UVRI maintains a field station at the Zika Forest near Entebbe. [7]
The institute is divided into the following departments and units.
(1) The Office of the Director (Head of Programs and Partnerships). The director is responsible for providing leadership to the research community. He/She reports directly to the UVRI Advisory Board (UAB). [8] (2) The Office of the Deputy Director (Chief Research Officer (CRO). The CRO is responsible for coordinating all the research being undertaken by the scientific departments in the institute. The CRO deputizes the director as the need arises. [8] (3) Department of Finance and Administration. This department is responsible for administration, accounting, payroll, transport, security, human resources management, logistics, legal affairs, storage and community awareness programs. [9]
(4) Department of Ecology and Zoology. This department carries out research on the animals and insects that carry pathogens which cause diseases in humans. These include monkeys, rodents, ticks, bats, and others. [10] (5) Department of General Virology.he Department of General Virology is headed by an assistant director. It conducts comprehensive research at a molecular and cellular level for different viral-borne diseases. This is the department that conducts research related to viruses associated with human cancers, including HHV8, HPV16, HPV18, Epstein–Barr virus and others. [11] (6) Department of Entomology and Vector Biology. The department focuses on the study of insect vectors in the transmission of arbo-virus infections, and the study of other arthropods connected with other diseases of public health importance such as the vectors of malaria. [12]
(7) Department of Immunology. This department focuses on the comprehensive study of how the human body protects itself against infection. The department specializes into two areas, (a) the study of cellular and humoral immunity and (b) the practice of diagnosis and surveillance of viral and vector-borne diseases. [13] (8) Department of Arbovirology (Emerging and Re-Emerging). This department serves as a national and international reference centre in the field and laboratory research and epidemic aid investigations of vector-borne viral infections and their arthropod vectors. [14] (9) Department of Planning and Fund Raising. This department is responsible for drawing up annual and five-year institutional funding plans and programs. It also coordinates national funding with donor funding from international collaborators and donor agencies. The department also carries out active lobbying and fundraising, both nationally and internationally. Human resource planning and forecasting, budgetting, report-writing and dissemination, are some of the activities that occur here. [15]
The specialized units include the following: [16]
(1) Epidemiology Unit, responsible for investigation of epidemic outbreaks, particularity in the areas of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, malaria and acute viral outbreaks. The unit provides statistical an epidemiology support to the entire institute. (2) Immunisable Diseases Unit, carries out surveillance and research on diseases that are preventable with vaccines. Functions as a regional measles reference laboratory for the World Health Organization. (3) Clinical Research Unit, conducts applied research on viral infectious diseases. The unit also offers basic clinical services to staff and the immediate family members in a healthcare centre, supervised by Entebbe General Hospital. (4) Quality Assurance Unit, is responsible for setting standards, monitoring, evaluation of clinical and operational research. It is mandated to develop and review quality assurance and inspection procedures. (5) Internal Audit Unit, because of its constitutional mandate and direct linkage with the Auditor general's office, this unit reports directly to the director of UVRI. (6) Information Technology & Corporate Affairs Unit, is responsible for collecting, collating and dissemination of information in a manner that promotes ethics, specificity, professionalism, and timeliness to promote effective beneficial use of that information. (7) International Relations & Training Unit, is responsible for training and capacity building among UVRI staff, particularly the scientists. The unit arranges and coordinates national, regional and international participation of UVRI in all health research-related matters. Interacts with governments, development partners, NGOs and international philanthropic bodies on scientific and technical matters related to health and scientific funding, training and disease control.[ citation needed ]
Marburg virus disease is a viral hemorrhagic fever in human and non-human primates caused by either of the two Marburgviruses: Marburg virus (MARV) and Ravn virus (RAVV). Its clinical symptoms are very similar to those of Ebola virus disease (EVD).
Entebbe is a city in Central Uganda which is located on Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately 36 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala. Entebbe was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda prior to independence, in 1962. The city is the location of Entebbe International Airport, Uganda's largest commercial and military airport, best known for the Israeli rescue of 100 hostages kidnapped by the militant group of the PFLP-EO and Revolutionary Cells (RZ) organizations. Entebbe is also the location of State House, the official office and residence of the President of Uganda.
Arbovirus is an informal name for any virus that is transmitted by arthropod vectors. The term arbovirus is a portmanteau word. Tibovirus is sometimes used to more specifically describe viruses transmitted by ticks, a superorder within the arthropods. Arboviruses can affect both animals and plants. In humans, symptoms of arbovirus infection generally occur 3–15 days after exposure to the virus and last three or four days. The most common clinical features of infection are fever, headache, and malaise, but encephalitis and viral hemorrhagic fever may also occur.
Bwamba orthobunyavirus (BWAV) belongs to the genus Orthobunyavirus and the order Bunyavirales RNA viruses. BWAV is present in large parts of Africa, endemic in Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. It is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites and results in a brief benign generalised infection with headache, skin rash, diarrhea and joint pain and lasts 4–5 days. The animal reservoir of the virus includes birds, monkeys and donkeys.
Zika fever, also known as Zika virus disease or simply Zika, is an infectious disease caused by the Zika virus. Most cases have no symptoms, but when present they are usually mild and can resemble dengue fever. Symptoms may include fever, red eyes, joint pain, headache, and a maculopapular rash. Symptoms generally last less than seven days. It has not caused any reported deaths during the initial infection. Mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy can cause microcephaly and other brain malformations in some babies. Infections in adults have been linked to Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS).
A reverse zoonosis, also known as a zooanthroponosis or anthroponosis, is a pathogen reservoired in humans that is capable of being transmitted to non-human animals.
The Vaccine Research Center (VRC), is an intramural division of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The mission of the VRC is to discover and develop both vaccines and antibody-based products that target infectious diseases.
Mosquito-borne diseases or mosquito-borne illnesses are diseases caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites transmitted by mosquitoes. Nearly 700 million people get a mosquito-borne illness each year resulting in over 725,000 deaths.
The United States Military HIV Research Program was initiated by the United States Congress in 1986, in reaction to the threat of lost effectiveness of U.S./Allied troops due to HIV infection. The mission of MHRP is to develop an HIV-1 vaccine, provide prevention, care, and treatment, and conduct meaningful HIV/AIDS research for the global community through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). It is centered at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), and has established five international research sites in Africa and Asia. MHRP also partners with the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) in Thailand. MHRP works closely with The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF), most notably in the development of the RV144 HIV vaccine in Thailand. MHRP is the largest research program supported by the HJF.
Zika virus is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae. It is spread by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus. Its name comes from the Ziika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in 1947. Zika virus shares a genus with the dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses. Since the 1950s, it has been known to occur within a narrow equatorial belt from Africa to Asia. From 2007 to 2016, the virus spread eastward, across the Pacific Ocean to the Americas, leading to the 2015–2016 Zika virus epidemic.
Makerere University Walter Reed Project (MUWRP) was established in 2002 for the primary purpose of HIV vaccine development and building of vaccine testing capability in Uganda. It is one of the 5 international research sites established by the Department of Defense (DoD) United States HIV Research Program (MHRP), a program centered at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) in Silver Spring, Maryland. MUWRP's main facility is centrally located in Kampala, near the Makerere University College of Health Sciences where the MUWRP laboratory is located. The main facility includes the clinic, administrative, and data offices.
Harriet Mayanja-Kizza, MBChB, MMed, MSc, FACP, is a Ugandan physician, researcher, and academic administrator. She is the former Dean of Makerere University School of Medicine, the oldest medical school in East Africa, established in 1924.
The ZikaForest is a tropical forest near Entebbe in Uganda. Ziika means 'overgrown' in the Luganda language. As the property of the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) of Entebbe, it is protected and restricted to scientific research.
Spondweni virus is an arbovirus, or arthropod-borne virus, which is a member of the family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus. It is part of the Spondweni serogroup which consists of the Sponweni virus and the Zika virus (ZIKV). The Spondweni virus was first isolated in Nigeria in 1952, and ever since, SPONV transmission and activity have been reported throughout Africa. Its primary vector of transmission is the sylvatic mosquito Aedes circumluteolus, though it has been isolated from several different types of mosquito. Transmission of the virus into humans can lead to a viral infection known as Spondweni fever, with symptoms ranging from headache and nausea to myalgia and arthralgia. However, as SPONV is phylogenetically close to the ZIKV, it is commonly misdiagnosed as ZIKV along with other viral illnesses.
The Global Virus Network (GVN) is an international coalition of medical virologists whose goal is to help the international medical community by improving the detection and management of viral diseases. The network was founded in 2011 by Robert Gallo in collaboration with William Hall and Reinhard Kurth, and 24 countries were members of the network as of 2015. The GVN fosters research into viruses that cause human disease to promote the development of diagnostics, antiviral drugs and vaccines, and its mission includes strengthening scientific training and response mechanisms to viral outbreaks. The GVN has organized task forces for chikungunya, human T-lymphotropic virus, and Zika. The network is headquartered at the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Gallo serves as its scientific director.
John Payne Woodall (1935–2016), known as Jack Woodall, was an American-British entomologist and virologist who made significant contributions to the study of arboviruses in South America, the Caribbean and Africa. He did research on the causative agents of dengue fever, Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever, o'nyong'nyong fever, yellow fever, Zika fever, and others.
A Zika virus vaccine is designed to prevent the symptoms and complications of Zika virus infection in humans. As Zika virus infection of pregnant women may result in congenital defects in the newborn, the vaccine will attempt to protect against congenital Zika syndrome during the current or any future outbreak. As of April 2019, no vaccines have been approved for clinical use, however a number of vaccines are currently in clinical trials. The goal of a Zika virus vaccine is to produce specific antibodies against the Zika virus to prevent infection and severe disease. The challenges in developing a safe and effective vaccine include limiting side effects such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, a potential consequence of Zika virus infection. Additionally, as dengue virus is closely related to Zika virus, the vaccine needs to minimize the possibility of antibody-dependent enhancement of dengue virus infection.
Pontiano Kaleebu is a Ugandan physician, clinical immunologist, HIV/AIDS researcher, academic and medical administrator, who is the executive director of the Uganda Virus Research Institute.
Dan Hung Barouch is an American physician, immunologist, and virologist. He is known for his work on the pathogenesis and immunology of viral infections and the development of vaccine strategies for global infectious diseases.
Patricia Ann Webb was a microbiologist known for her work in characterising and classifying severe contagious diseases including Machupo, Lassa and Ebola viruses.