The existing means of combatting many tropical infectious diseases do not help reduce the number of diseases in the long term. Katharina Fegebank, Senator for Science, Research and Equality said: “Not only the pathogens should be researched, but also how they are fought in the affected regions. This is a significant gain for the excellent medical research in Hamburg, but above all an important contribution to the health of people worldwide.” Implementation research is key to developing and implementing effective health control strategies, according to the World Health Organization.
EUR 8 million earmarked for new implementation research division
The Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) is adding an implementation research division focusing on new methods of disease control for tropical infectious diseases such as malaria and ebola, according to a press release issued in January 2020. The German government and states as well Hamburg have set aside EUR 8 million until 2022 for the new research branch.
Disease control
Eliminating infectious diseases caused by poverty
The new research branch is being set up in co-operation with the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf as well as other national and international partners. The goal is to help eliminate poverty-related infectious diseases worldwide. Emphasis will also be on how disciplines such as e-health, health economics or modern ways of health communication can help poor countries carry out control measures more effectively and strengthen health systems in the long term.
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