Noguchi Institute to embark on yellow fever eradication

Professor Abraham Kwabena Anang, Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, says the institute would soon embark on a yellow fever eradication advocacy.

This forms part of activities to mark the institute’s 40th anniversary.

Professor Anang said this at the launch of the NMIMR’s 40th Anniversary celebration.

He said as part of the celebration, an open day was held for members of the general public to have a feel of their research facilities, interact with NMIMR staff and get to know more about work that is done at the Institute and its relevance to the health of the nation.

Prof. Anang recounted that the history of NMIMR originated from the sacred roots in the 1920’s, when a yellow fever epidemic swept the West African region with devastating results similar to the Ebola outbreak of the recent times.

He recalled that Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, then working in the United States of America (USA) with the Rockefeller Institute, came to West Africa to help find the cause of the dreaded yellow fever disease.

The NMIMR director said the Centre would institute a fund called the Hideyo Noguchi Together Endowment Fund to support research activities.

Prof. Anang said Dr Hideyo, made various scientific contributions including his discovery of the causative agent of Syphilis, - Treponema pallidum.

As part of the initiative, the Centre together with other stakeholders including the Japan Government would build a consultative group made up organisations with research expertise and mandate for control of the disease, Prof Anang said.

The group among other mandates determine the terms of engagement of partners, the research needs to engage in the eradication of yellow fever and to develop the road map for research or control the eradication of yellow fever.

The NMIMR was established in 1979, with a Japanese grant in honour of the renowned Japanese Scientist as a gift from the Government and People of Japan.

The anniversary celebration is under the theme “Noguchi at 40: Sustaining Global Health Gains through Partnerships in Biomedical Research”.

The Japanese Ambassador, His Excellency Tsutomu Himeno said the construction of the new advanced research centre was to aid in research, adding that the Japanese government would remain engaged in the facilitation of the new research centre.

He said Japan was looking towards partnering with Noguchi Institute for collaboration in research.

The Institute would champion a year-long advocacy and build consensus to eradicate yellow fever as part of activities to mark its 40th anniversary.