Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research

Ghana

 

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research is a biomedical research facility that conducts high-level research, mainly into communicable diseases and nutrition. It is recognized nationally as a centre of excellence for research and training of qualified professionals in diseases of public health importance in Ghana. The Institute is working very closely with the Navrongo Health Research Centre to collect samples for the MalariaGEN Programme.

People

• Michael Wilson (MalariaGEN Investigator)
• Kwadwo Koram (MalariaGEN Investigator)

How the team is contributing to MalariaGEN

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, together with the Navrongo Health Research Centre, is recruiting children with severe malaria and ethnically-matched controls for Consortial Project 1. They are also participating in Consortial Project 3.

For Consortial Project 1 the team planned to recruit 300 cases of severe malaria and matching controls during the high transmission seasons. However, recruitment of severe cases was lower than expected. Firstly, there appeared to be a general decline in severe malaria prevalence. This may have been due to the change from chloroquine to a combination of artesunate and amodiaquine as first-line treatment for malaria in Ghana. Secondly, there is a heavily subsidised mutual health insurance scheme operating nationwide. As a result mothers and caregivers tend to bring malaria cases to health facilities earlier than they did previously. The study design has now been adapted and cases are now being collected by revisiting participants from a previous study.

Two sets of 30 trios have been recruited for Consortial Project 3.