NIMR, Canadian Institute, IDRC Launch CAD$3m Research on Monkeypox
To avert similar disruptions following outbreak of COVID, researchers at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, on Wednesday launched CAD$3m research on monkeypox that would help inform the clinical and public health response to the local and global epidemic of the disease.
The new project funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, CIHR, and the International Development Research, IDRC named the Canada-Africa Mpox Partnership, CAMP, is bringing together 68 researchers with multidisciplinary expertise from Canada, Nigeria, the United States, U.S, the United Kingdom, UK and Co–led by Nigeria’s Prof Rosemary Audu, the Director of Research and Head of Microbiology Department at NIMR.
The Research project would be focusing on three main topics across diverse e[epidemiological, geo-social and health system contexts of Mpox transmission, treatment and vaccines.
Speaking at the official launch of the project, the Director-General of NIMR, Prof Babatunde Salako said the launch was to introduce the project to critical stakeholders as well as give them the opportunity to share their interests and concerns that can be addressed through the project’s objectives.
Salako said NIMR is working with the Institute of Human Virology, IHVN, University of Ilorin, UNILORIN, among others to ensure it provides needed information for stakeholders and the communities who will be participating in the project.
“Before now, we plan, conduct and disseminate research without involving the community where we want to use those results. That has been making it difficult for us to translate new approaches to treatments and new drugs and vaccinations into effective use because the people were not part of it from the beginning.”
He said the research would look into the epidemiology of the disease to determine the transmission dynamics, how it is transmitted, clinical trials in relation to the drugs, the smallpox drugs that have been used because the virus has a close relationship to smallpox, the possibility of using that same drug for treatment as well as looking at the effectiveness of the smallpox vaccines on people and prevention.
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Salako regretted that Nigeria has no agency that funds health research like other countries, adding that, like the Canadian Institute, if Nigeria has a similar agency, it would be easy for the country to sort out issues around emerging diseases like monkeypox, Lassa fever, meningitis and others that are breaking.
Speaking, Co-lead and Director of Research and Head of the Microbiology Department at NIMR, Prof Rosemary Audu, said they decided to respond to the call by the Canadian Institute following the increasing cases of the disease even in the Western world.
She explained that the epidemiology pattern of Mpox from the initial sporadic reports from endemic countries including Nigeria to the sudden surge in non–endemic regions such as Canada calls for more scientific studies on the absence, grey areas and misconstrued aspects of Mpox.
“This grant will provide the necessary support for enhanced diagnosis and surveillance, using a collaborative approach for collection and cascading of responses in both countries to help mitigate the impact of this emerging and re-emerging disease globally.”
Also speaking, another member of the research team and Professor of Epidemiology, NIMR, Prof Ehimario Igumbar noted that in 2022, Mpox spread to many non–endemic areas around the globe, including Canada, noted that out of COVID, there has been global health insecurity and there was the need to monitor some of these diseases and also the need to understand monkeypox and see how it can be dealt with.
He said a cumulative total of 86,724 laboratory–confirmed cases of Mpox including 112 deaths have been reported to the World Health Organisation from 110 countries while Nigeria has recorded over 2,635 suspected cases of monkeypox since 2017.
On his part, Chair of the Advisory Board of Research Team and Consultant & Research Professor, NIMR, Prof Richard Adegbola said there was a need for the country to list its priority pathogens and find a way of investigating with a view of nipping them in the bud. “If you want to solve a problem, you will need to investigate it and study it otherwise you cannot solve the problem. The Canadian wants to know what the problem is in order to stop it and it is time for us as Nigerians to have the list of our priority pathogens so that we don’t wait until when there is a problem.”
Other members of the research team include; Dr Isaac Olufadewa, Country Coordinator, Slum and Rural Health Initiative, Dr Sunday Mogaji, a Clinician, Infectious Disease Unit/Isolation, FMC Ebute- Metta, Senior Research Fellow & Clinician, NIMR, Dr Paschal Ezeobi, Control Component11, Dr Olufemi Daodu, among others.
