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The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State has inaugurated a Vaccine Research Centre for the development of vaccines for diseases that affect Nigeria and Africa in many disproportionate ways.
The centre is located at the Coal City Garden Estate in Enugu and is equipped with funds from the United States National Health Institute and Belinda and Gates Foundation.
At the center’s opening, Prof. Charles Igwe, the Vice Chancellor of UNN, expressed delight that the organisation, which had been dormant due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the protracted Academic Staff Union of Universities strike, had finally come of age.
Mr. Igwe congratulated Prof. Silva Anika, the center’s director, and his colleagues for turning the idea into a reality. He also promised that the centre will support efforts to combat tropical diseases that affect both humans and animals in the nation.
In his remarks, Mr Anika said that the VRC would cater for training, research, development and production of vaccines for most endemic but neglected tropical human and animal diseases.
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Mr Anika said that the centre would establish collaborative partnership with national and global units to become viable and international in outlook.
The director disclosed that the research had received grants to work on the epidemiology and population genomics of African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) in both humans and animals which caused immense suffering and economic losses in society.
He said, “Through partnerships with governments, international organisations and the private sector, we intend to translate these investigations into widespread programmes that will save lives and improve livestock health and production. This centre strengthens our university’s traditional role of solving the biggest challenges that face Nigeria in particular and Africa in general, through scientific inquiry and discovery.
“It is also a major step towards self-reliance in healthcare and I am confident that with the dedication of our researchers and support from all levels of government, this centre will achieve major breakthroughs that will improve human and animal health for generations to come.’
The emeritus professor, however, disclosed that the center had attracted about $1 million worth of equipment, many of which required steady power supply.
Conducting the guests round the center, a veterinarian and researcher, Dr Chinwe Chukwudi, said that the million-dollar equipment could be used to diagnose many diseases including cancer through research.
Ms Chukwudi, who attracted the grant, said the centre had begun a pilot study on Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) known as sleeping sickness, noting that the disease had become prevalent in the country.
According to her, there is a 10 per cent prevalence rate in a sampled population at a hospital at Nsukka in Enugu State.
She said that 11 out of 184 samples representing six per cent were consistently positive in assays done, adding that the data suggested a high burden of undiagnosed and unreported clinical HAT cases in Nigeria.
Ms Chukwudi said that the mode of sustained transmission needed to be established.
The veterinarian encouraged medical students in various capacities to access the facility for their studies and sustainability of the centre.
The event was attended by the former Vice Chancellor of the UNN, Prof Benjamin Ozurumba, Prof Paul Modum and representatives of the Enugu State Primary Health Agency among others.
