Bacterial, Parasitic and Zoonotic Diseases Research Directorate

Mission:
* Advance and improve evidence-based decision through generating quality data using laboratory, sentinel site-based surveillance, survey and evaluation of bacterial, parasitic and zoonotic diseases,
* Foster partnership and collaboration with research and academic institutions for human resource capacity building to strengthen vector control and knowledge transfer in molecular tools and use of climate information, and
* Maintaining insectary and laboratory animal facilities that brace research efforts of the institute and others.

Vision: To be Center of Excellence in Public Health in Africa

Objectives: The Directorate is aimed at generating quality data that help informed-decision in prevention, control and elimination programme and improving quality of health care to bacterial, parasitic and zoonotic diseases.

Major Activities:
* Surveillance on efficacy and/or safety of antimicrobial, anti-malarial and insecticide drugs,
* Enhance surveillance on meningitis and rabies,
* Mapping, survey, monitoring and evaluation of impacts of interventions on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs),
* Study population genetic diversity of malaria parasites,
* Evaluation of malaria diagnostic and vector control tools,
* Evaluation of onchocerciasis elimination,
* Capacity building in the use of climate based information in public health decisions,
* Diagnostic, referral and analytical services,
* Coordination of malaria sentinel sites,
* Rabies diagnostic, counseling and post exposure prophylaxis,
* Human resource capacity building in public health entomology, and
* Accreditation of key laboratories.

PURPOSE

The Directorate is established during August 2013 aimed at generating quality evidence on infectious diseases of public health significance caused by bacteria, parasite and zoonotic-origin to inform control and elimination programme as well as epidemic detection and containment.Some of the priority diseases are meningitis, gonorrhea, malaria and neglected tropical diseases including leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, soil-transmitted helmenthiasis/schistosomiasis as well as rabies. Additionally the Directorate gives services like counseling and laboratory-based confirmatory tests, referral and backup laboratory coming from the general public and health facilities. Evaluation of diagnostic tools and efficacy and safety of intervention materials is another important duty of the Directorate. Uniquely, the Directorate avails Insectary and laboratory animals to internal and external customers including academic and research institutions. Mainly Diagnostics and Vaccine Production and Drug Research Directorates relyon the laboratory-animal facilities.

ARTNERSHIP

The Directorate underpins partnership to strengthen national health research capacity through its collaboration with programme run by the Federal Ministry of Health and implemented in various Regional States. Additionally, the Directorate collaborates with WHO-Ethiopia, The Carter Center, MACEPA-PATH, ICAP-Ethiopia, PMI/USAID, CDC and academic institutions including Addis Continental Institute of Public Health, Aklilu-Lemma Institute of Pathobiology/Addis Ababa University, Arba Minch University, University of Gondar andJimma University, AHRI. At present, there is a collaborative project with the National Meteorological Agency of Ethiopia. International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI)/Columbia University in the New York (USA), Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Norway), London Imperial College (UK), Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (UK) is among the key collaborators from the overseas.

TEAMS

There are three research teams including Clinical Bacteriology & Mycology, Malaria & Parasitic Diseases Research and Zoonotic Diseases Research.

STAFFS

Well qualified and experienced human resource is very important and a key component to achieve its objective for the Directorate specifically and the Institute in general. Currently, there are 60 staffs including a research Director and two support staffs. The list of staffs with various academic and specialized fields of training in each team is presented below.

    I. Clinical Bacteriology & Mycology
    II. Malaria & Parasitic Diseases Research
    III. Zoonotic Diseases Research