Author: team galvmed

A tale of two states: How a zoonotic disease can be transmitted to unsuspecting consumers

Posted on by team galvmed

It was a rainy day in August 2013 when we made the trip to Dimapur. We wanted to experience first-hand, the problem of cysticercosis in pigs. Dimapur is the entry point for north-eastern states of India and is well connected by road, rail and air. Our final destination was Kohima, the state capital of Nagaland, where the disease is thought to be prevalent. Porcine Cysticercosis (PC) is a disease that can be transmitted from pigs to humans.  Once in humans, it can infect the brain resulting into epileptic-like seizures.

During our fact finding mission, we found out something very interesting. Even though the people in Nagaland explained that the chance of getting PC in pigs reared locally were rare, there were high cases of people infected with cysts in the brain. How then, were these people being infected if their locally reared pigs were considered negative for PC?

It turns out that most pigs consumed in the state are transported from outside states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Pigs from peri-urban areas like Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh are collected and transported thousands of miles and end up in places like Dimapur in the north east.  This is because pigs in the peri-urban areas are available at cheaper prices since most residents do not eat pork. In addition, the waste produced by these peri-urban areas provides cheap food to the pigs, making the cost of rearing the pigs inexpensive.

Pigs in semi-urban areas are exposed to unhygienic conditions which can make them pick up Tenia solium

But there lies the danger, because eating pigs that have been exposed to such unhygienic conditions puts people at risk from being infected with cysticercosis. The pigs are interacting a lot more with human waste where they can easily pick up a Tenia solium (a tape worm egg found in humans) egg and develop many cysts in the muscle. These can be transferred back to humans through eating infected meat.

The interesting and perhaps more worrisome discovery from our mission was that those rearing and selling the pigs at distant locations are probably unaware of the problem and therefore are unlikely to take any measures against exposing the pigs to the unhygienic conditions, while those who are consuming the meat do not know where the pigs are coming. This is where the government needs to come in, to put in place a countrywide control programme to stop the spread of cysts from pigs. In this way, both the sellers and the consumers will be protected.

This post was originally written as part of World Veterinary Day focusing on Vector-borne diseases with Zoonotic potential. Vector-borne zoonotic diseases are becoming a major public health concern in fact Scientists estimate that more than 6 out of every 10 infectious diseases in humans are spread from animals. At GALVmed, we work on a number of zoonotic diseases not only to protect livestock from these diseases but humans as well.

Where there are no vets

Posted on by team galvmed

It struck me on a recent visit to a farm some hours from the nearest city in one African country how difficult it is for owners of farms in these areas to access even the simplest of veterinary medicines let alone the services of a veterinarian.

The farm owner, who works in the city travelled with us for a couple of hours over deeply rutted muddy roads thanks to the recent heavy rains, handed over a small plastic packet containing a few basis remedies to the stockman on the farm. He could only get those remedies back in the city.

Livestock, particularly cattle are an integral and valuable part of life throughout Africa. This homestead was no different, chickens with their young were busy scuttling about the yard and two roosters patrolled their flock. A dog and tiny kitten were very much in evidence and behind the homestead a large kraal stood ready to receive the cattle on their return from the day’s grazing.

Cattle in Africa represent wealth and in addition they are valuable sources of protein, traction power as well as fertilizers. Mostly the Zebu type, as they are generally able to cope with food of lower nutritional value and in many cases are tolerant to a number of the diseases such as Nagana (Animal African Trypanosomosis) and Babesiosus.

I did, however, wonder how the stockmen accessed treatments or even advice for these beautiful and valuable animals.

A nearby store, more of a lean to, had the very basics for human health and first aid as well as some limp vegetables, some fly-spotted fruit and the inevitable cool drinks in a fridge that was laboring away to keep things cool on a day when the temperatures topped 420C.

What concerns me about this is what happens in rural Africa when these valuable animals are truly ill? How do their owners access effective medicines and indeed veterinary help? This is the situation many farmers in rural Africa are faced with on a daily basis. There are not enough veterinary professionals to offer the much needed services to farmers. This often leaves farmers to take desperate measures such as self-diagnosis and off the counter drugs, which can be very detrimental to the lives of the animals. At GALVmed, we are working hard on a number of fronts to provide universal access to livestock medicines and I believe, in addition to this, it would be beneficial to address the scarcity or lack thereof, of veterinary services in these areas. This would greatly compliment the work that many organisations such as GALVmed are trying to do to improve the health of livestock for poor farmers.

This year’s World Veterinary Day is focusing on Vector-borne diseases with Zoonotic potential. Vector-borne zoonotic diseases are becoming a major public health concern in fact scientists estimate that more than 6 out of every 10 infectious diseases in humans are spread from animals. At GALVmed, we work on a number of zoonotic diseases not only to protect livestock from these diseases but humans as well. Tweet us your thoughts and share with us what World Veterinary Day means to you. @GALVmed #WorldVetDay

Vets for the poor: How can we strengthen the profession in the developing countries?

Posted on by team galvmed

World Veterinary Day
provides a great opportunity to celebrate the work of vets around the world and, as it relates to GALVmed, to thank all our many veterinarian partners for your continued support. We belong to a great profession! But we also need to recognise that the veterinary profession is not yet serving the needs of the under-resourced livestock keeper in large areas of the world. We need to be asking ourselves, as a profession, what we can do to encourage the young veterinarians who graduate from vet schools across much of the developing world, after undertaking challenging and costly studies, to take the bold step of establishing themselves to offer private sector clinical services in the rural areas of their home country. We know it will be risky and will take hard work in order to succeed, but too many young vets find themselves unable to find opportunities to work in their own countries as veterinary surgeons and end up drifting into parallel careers which, while important, do not allow them to fulfil their early dreams on entering the profession. I do not believe it will take a lot to shift the balance to the point where farmers recognise the economic benefit the advice and input of a vet can provide. But it will take commitment on the part of the young veterinarian and would be significantly enhanced if, in the early, most risky stages for the young entrepreneur, an external body could underwrite some of the risk. Indeed, this model has found success in other, more developed, parts of the world where rural practice has become less attractive. And what about practices in the west offering support and encouragement to young, enterprising veterinarians wanting to plough the lonely furrow of setting themselves up as private practitioners in their home countries?

This year’s World Veterinary Day on 25th April is focusing on Vector-borne diseases with Zoonotic potential. Vector-borne zoonotic diseases are becoming a major public health concern in fact scientists estimate that more than 6 out of every 10 infectious diseases in humans are spread from animals. At GALVmed, we work on a number of zoonotic diseases not only to protect livestock from these diseases but humans as well. Tweet us your thoughts and share with us what World Veterinary Day means to you. @GALVmed #WorldVetDay

Popular East Africa TV company and GALVmed to promote Newcastle Disease vaccinations to farmers through TV, social media and texts

Posted on by team galvmed

By: Katharine MacMahon, Media Manager at Shamba Shape Up

GALVmed has recently partnered again with Shamba Shape Up, the hit reality TV show that discusses the problems facing the farmers of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The show, which is watched by over ten million viewers across East Africa weekly, is based around the rapidly growing rural audience, and aims to give farmers the tools they need to improve productivity and income on their farms. The core of the series tackles issues surrounding livestock, poultry, crops and soil fertility. Other relevant topics such as financial planning, solar power and harvesting rainwater are also included depending on the needs of the farmer in the episode.

With the fifth series set to air on 14th March 2015, Shamba Shape Up viewers are looking forward to a new show with a completely new set up. Unlike the previous series’, which were only filmed in Kenya (although aired in Uganda and Tanzania), the new series will be filmed in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Episodes filmed in Uganda and Tanzania will also be shown in Kenya, making the Kenyan series twenty-three episodes long (plus three re-visits). The Uganda and Tanzania series will be made up of five new episodes and then five re-edited episodes of older content relatable to these countries.

Three new sets of information leaflets will also be created to complement the knowledge provided on the show. In the past, only Kenyan viewers have been able to SMS us asking for a leaflet (all the leaflets are online for everyone online at Shamba Shape Up). Now with the beginning of the new Tanzania and Uganda series,’ farmers from all three countries can text to receive information leaflets. The series five leaflets are bolder, brighter and packed with useful information.

GALVmed works with its partners in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to provide the Newcastle Disease vaccine to backyard poultry farmers. Newcastle Disease can kill whole chicken flocks in days, spreading quickly between homes, shambas and villages. The vaccine offers an easy solution. Despite this important advancement in chicken health, many farmers do not know how to give it, where to get it or even of its existence. GALVmed and Shamba Shape Up are going to change that!

The Newscastle Disease vaccine is easy to give to the chicken and can be administrated through eye drops or through drinking water. Eye drops are seen as a better solution as it means you can make sure that each of your chickens has received the vaccines.

The vaccine, which is called KukuStar in Uganda, Avivac in Kenya and TEMEVAC in Tanzania is easy to buy in any local agro-dealer. It is thermostable, meaning if the vaccine is unopened, it can be kept for up to 14 days without refrigeration. If it is opened, it will need to be used within an hour of opening. Many other vaccines need to be kept cold, which can be a big challenge for farmers in hot countries as many do not have any electricity to power a fridge or freezer.

GALVmed is also partnering with Shamba Shape Up’s social media. Just because the show is over for the week, doesn’t mean that farmers go quiet! Shamba Shape Up has an active Facebook page, with over 42,000 fans logging in to discuss the episode, ask questions and chat with other local farmers and expert sponsors. Shamba Shape Up’s sponsors, including GALVmed, are tagged in questions that relate to them, allowing them to create their own relationships with the farmers.

Last series, GALVmed focused on the East Coast Fever vaccine, and Shamba Shape Up’s social media was peppered with questions asking how to get the vaccine and how to use it correctly. Shamba Shape Up also has an active Twitter page and a blog where information on the series and from other sponsors is sent and received.

Alongside social media, farmers can send a text to Shamba Shape Up asking for more help and advice. If a general enquiry via text is received, for example on chickens, then the related information will be sent at no cost to the farmer. If a more specific questions is asked, such as “Where do I get the Newcastle Disease vaccine from?” it will be directed towards GALVmed.

Shamba Shape Up recognized the thirst for agricultural information and in response is launching a bespoke product, iShamba, in time for the new series 5. Text “JOIN” to 21606 and you’ll receive a call from one of our agronomy experts to talk to you about your location, what you farm, your farm size and what information you’d find most useful to hear about. You’ll receive weekly market price information, weather forecast, seasonal weather forecast updates, special offers from sponsors and agri-tips in tune with your location’s crop cycle. For example, a farmer may receive a text detailing the pest risk in their area and how best to combat it with details of the best time to plant their maize.

Subscribed farmers are able to SMS the iShamba team with any questions to 21606 and will receive a text response or call back from an expert. Farmers can also call the experts directly, 7 days per week. iShamba is offering a month’s free subscription to the service, after which farmers will be invited to 80 ksh per month (US 87 cents) or 800 KSH per year ($8.75 US). SMS costs 2 KSH (US 2 cents) to send and are free to receive. Calls to the agronomy call centre are charged at local rates.

How one farmer improved his life and farm with texting

Posted on by team galvmed

By: Dr Samuel Adediran, Assistant Director of Market Development and Access at GALVmed and Su Kahumbu, Founder of iCow

GALVmed partnered with iCow , the texting platform that shares agricultural information with Kenyan farmers, to provide information on vaccines. The Smart Farm Tips platform allows farmers to search for agriculture-related information 24/7 for only 3 Kenyan Shillings (ksh) per text. Farmers can receive texts on: livestock, soil, crops, horticulture; animal production, management, feeds, reproduction, disease control, processing and marketing.

As part of a Smart Farm Tips evaluation exercise, iCow’s Customer Care agents surveyed farmers to assess how they were using the knowledge gained from Smart Farm Tips.  One of the interviewees was 29 years old farmer, John Mwangi who lives in Kilifi on the Kenyan coast.

John started using iCow in March 2014 and registered for the broiler chicken product, Mashauri Broiler. He received three texts a week which drip fed information on broiler best practices (a total of 12 per month at 3.00 Ksh each). Between March and November 2014, John received 97 texts at a cost of 291.00 Ksh or US $3.30.

When John joined iCow he had 50 birds – 25 of which died from a disease, with a description fitting the Newcastle Disease profile. He sold the remaining 25 chickens at 200-250 Ksh per bird. According to John, his main chicken production constraint was disease.

After he joined iCow he bought 100 broilers and started following the information he received, which resulted in giving his birds Gumboro and Newcastle Disease vaccinations. He also adopted improved hygiene. His production then started to take off and he soon settled into a production pattern of 150 birds every two weeks – 300 birds per month. John said that in order to sell his first batch of chickens he had to go out in search of customers including hotels and the local market. However, after the second month of making improvements, clients now seek him out due to the good quality birds he is producing.

John’s balance sheet
John’s economics about his new poultry business is both interesting and funny.

Over the period, John had a turnover of about Ksh 50,000 (US $544) per batch of 150 birds with a profit of between 10,000 -15,000 Ksh (averaged at 12,500 Ksh or US $136). Since using iCow, he has produced10 batches of birds! He sells his birds between Ksh 330-350 each.

John estimated his cumulative income over this period at 50,000 Ksh a fortnight or 500,000 Ksh after10 batches of rearing. After discounting cost of chicks, feed, housing, drugs and vaccination, he estimated his profit at approximately 125,000 ksh in five months – that’s 25,000 Ksh or US $267.00 per month.

John reckoned that his extra expense apart from his peers was the cost of iCow texts at 291 Ksh (just over US $3). Thus he calculated his net profit in five months was 124,709 Ksh or US $1,358! Although this might have been exaggerated, as labour costs and other incidentals might have been overlooked, we commend John’s efforts and drive.

Asked what he spends his new money on he replied, “To pay my child’s school fees and to construct a water delivery system for domestic and production purposes at my farm.” In addition, he has saved for a new venture in goat production that he intends to start soon. He has also started searching on Smart Farm Tips for information on goats. John said that since he joined iCow his life has changed dramatically. He is a mechanic and used to struggle to make ends meet but now he says he has a good cash flow.

John made us laugh when responding to the question of sharing information with his neighbours. He said they are very impressed with his sudden economic upturn but he is keeping iCow as a secret!

A true entrepreneur guarding his market lead!

For further reading:

GALVmed’s partnership with iCow.
How we’re exploring new partnerships and business potential for vaccination against Newcastle Disease in Kenya.

GALVmed-iCow partnership uses texts to provide farmers with agricultural information

Posted on by team galvmed

By: Dr Samuel Adediran, Assistant Director of Market Development and Access at GALVmed and Su Kahumbu, Founder of iCow

iCow, is a mobile phone platform that shares agricultural information with farmers in Kenya. It currently has a database of 136,000 farmers, of which more than 65,000 are subscribers (as of January 2015).

In December 2012, GALVmed partnered with iCow on a pilot project. This project randomly sent East Coast Fever (ECF)-related texts to iCow’s 12,000 subscribers. This pilot showed that the texts were not well targeted (only 5% of texts sent were ECF related) and the information was not available on demand.

We worked together to develop another platform that would fill these holes found in the initial project. GALVmed supported iCow to develop the Smart Agri Info platform, which complements iCow’s existing knowledge-based platforms to improve livestock farmer’s access to agricultural knowledge and to provide tips for improved production and livelihood. The GALVmed support also updated the three iCow portals: Mashauri (Advice), Experts and Kalenda (livestock production calendar).

The Smart Agri Info platform was aimed to:

  • Develop Smart Agri-Info Tips
  • Make agriculture information-demand driven & available 24/7
  • Update “Veterinary” (the experts section of the database).

Smart Agri-Info Tips, also referred to as Smart Farm Tips, allows farmers to search for agriculture-related information 24/7, at 3 Kenyan Shillings (ksh) per text. Farmers dial *285# on their mobile phones and access the platform. They can then choose to receive best practice texts on soil, crops as well as horticulture and livestock practices including: animal production, management, feeds, reproduction, disease control, processing and marketing.

Under livestock diseases for instance, farmers can choose specific diseases such as East Coast fever (ECF), Rift Valley Fever, Newcastle Disease and Infectious Bursal Disease (Gumboro) diseases. It is also possible to specify other areas such as symptoms, management, prevention, control and treatment of diseases. Depending on these choices, farmers receive a number of informative texts. iCow is developed predominantly for feature phones and does not require a smart phone.

Smart Farm Tips was launched in April 2014 and after two weeks of Safaricom marketing and farmers who randomly accessed it, the platform received 9,096 total searches – 13% of which were chicken and cow related. The surge in hits crashed iCow’s client server. iCow is now investing in improved infrastructure with higher bandwidth to cater for the anticipated increase in clientele.

We look forward to our future partnership with iCow as it grows and responds to farmers’ needs. Its reception among farmers has been very positive. Read how one farmer improved his life and farm with texting.

Exploring new partnerships and business potential for vaccination against Newcastle Disease in Kenya

Posted on by team galvmed

By: Rahul Srivastava, Marketing Officer for South Asia at GALVmed and Dr. Samuel Adediran, Assistant Director for Global Access at GALVmed

GALVmed, in partnership with the African Technical Veterinary Association (ATVA), recently organised a Newcastle Disease awareness programme for association members. The programme was for those who may be interested in seizing business opportunities regarding backyard poultry vaccinations against Newcastle disease. This initiative directly reaches out to para-veterinarians and is expected to stimulate uptake of vaccination against Newcastle disease, which is the main killer for poultry.

The meeting, which was held 21 November 2014, sought to build further public partnerships through the involvement of local veterinary authorities. The training followed a series of sensitisation programmes held in Nakuru and Siaya counties on the business potential of vaccination against the Newcastle disease.

Animal health technicians fulfil important tasks in the animal health sector in Kenya and other parts of Africa as far as the provision of primary animal health care to resource poor livestock owners is concerned. In all counties of Kenya, AVTA members are active in providing animal health service in remote villages where such services are often not available.

During the meeting, Roggers Mosha, GALVmed’s Project Manager for the Newcastle disease discussed in detail the backyard poultry business potential focussing on Newcastle disease vaccination and deworming as examples. He shared further insights on managing vaccination campaigns to ensure sustainable income stream to vaccinators and Agrovet shop owners, in what he described as “a win-win formula”.  Special precautions to assure effective vaccination with thermo-tolerant vaccine were described in detail with some field examples. This kind of service to the large backyard chicken population may be explored as a lucrative source of additional income to the para-veterinarians and community health workers.

Rahul Srivastava, GALVmed’s Marketing Officer for South Asia, encouraged participants to tap into the unexplored business avenues in animal health at village level using inspiring rags-to-riches poultry experiences in India. According to Rahul, the bottom of the pyramid encompasses a large base of poultry keepers that has immense business potential to explore.

Mr. Benson Oduor, President of ATVA thanked GALVmed for their partnership and encouraged the para-veterinarians in Nyeri County to seize the opportunity of the training and demonstrate their capacity to provide such services in rural areas. He observed that this could be an eye opener for other counties and strengthen the relevance of the vet technicians.

It is expected that such kind of sensitisation programmes will result in significant awareness of the critical role the backyard poultry plays in the local economy.

Seeking the Next Generation of Livestock Trypanocides

Posted on by team galvmed
The loss of livestock productivity and mortality caused by the protozoan parasites, Trypanosoma congolense andT. vivax, which is transmitted by tsetse and other biting flies, leads to loss of assets and income to the farmers in Africa. The estimated cost is almost $5 billion a year with over 150 million ruminants at risk in tsetse-infested areas.

The losses to trypanosomosis or Nagana are not limited to but are most heavily felt by the poorest livestock keepers.  In 2011, UK Department for International Development asked GALVmed to seek new trypanocides, vaccines and diagnostics to help control this disease.  During Phase 1 of the programme that ended December 2013, GALVmed developed partnerships to establish test systems to evaluate available technologies.  Laboratory testing was carried out primarily at SwissTPH and then, with formulation support from the University of Greenwich, compounds were progressed and further testing occurred at sites in Mozambique (University Eduardo Modlane), South Africa (ClinVet) and Burkino Fassau (CIRDES).  Although none of the potential vaccines were shown to work in a rigorous model, good progress was made in identifying new diagnostics and trypanocidal compounds. This work is continuing in Phase 2.  This article describes our strategy, some of the challenges faced and progress made towards identifying new trypanocides.

Trypanocides are available both to treat (Diminazene), and prevent (Isometamidium, Homidium) trypanosomosis in cattle and other livestock.  Indeed, trypanocides represent one of the largest segments of the animal health market in Africa with estimated sales of branded and generic products estimated at around $100 million.  However, these compounds are over 50 years old and not only do they have narrow therapeutic margins but field resistance to these compounds is growing steadily.  Unfortunately, the potential value of this market has been reduced by widespread availability of sub-standard and fake products.  The lack of understanding of the disease, poor diagnosis and poor efficacy of current products due to drug resistance or intentional and accidental underdosing, coupled with inconvenient to use formulations, means that usage of trypanocides is much lower than required to tackle the disease.  This market risk has resulted in a reluctance of the animal health companies to invest precious research and development funding in the search for new trypanocides.

In contrast, a partnership of academics, pharma companies and not-for-profit PDPs, such as DNDi, has made great progress in addressing human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or Sleeping Sickness caused by related species,T.brucei rhodesiense and gambiense.  As well as declining cases, there is now a strong pipeline of new, highly-effective drug candidates in development, e.g. fexinidazole and SCYX7158.

GALVmed has adopted a strategy to build on the discoveries made by these groups to leverage their compounds for potential application to animal trypanosomosis.  Our Phase 1 work leveraging the human candidate programmes almost achieved our goal of identifying a development candidate.  AN7973 from Anacor was shown to be very safe and could cure cattle infected with T.congolense by a single 10mg/kg injection.  Unfortunately, T.vivax proved less susceptible to this compound and could not be treated by an economic dose.

Through support from our joint funders, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Government, we have been encouraged to expand our efforts for Phase 2 to leverage the human research with additional collaborations.  Many of the drugs identified for HAT failed due to lack of efficacy against Stage 2 of the disease in which the parasite enters the central nervous system where it is harder to access with the drug.  Other lead compounds failed to provide activity by oral dosing.  Neither of these features are required for a treatment of Animal African Trypanosomosis where the parasites largely live in the peripheral tissues and bloodstream and treatment is more convenient by injection.  We need a compound that is potent and long-lasting so that it can cure or provide prophylaxis by a single injection.  It also needs to be very safe both to the animal and to humans who might wish to subsequently eat the animal or use its milk.

GALVmed has developed screening partnerships with more than a dozen academic and industry groups who have been active in seeking treatments for HAT.  Our partnerships span the globe and include the Universities of Dundee, Strathclyde, Cape Town, Washington, North Eastern (U.S.), Monash (Aus.), research institutes e.g. Broad, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, and companies such as Novartis, Anacor and Celgene.  We have been testing their compounds in the laboratory against the livestock trypanosomes, T. vivax and T.congolense and we have identified a number of very exciting lead structures.  We have already commenced lead optimisation programmes with Anacor, University of Dundee and Celgene Global Health to seek close analogues of these lead compounds that might have the ideal combination of properties to make them candidates for development. The best of these compounds are now being progressed to cattle studies and we have very encouraging results – so watch this space!

CTTBD: Supporting African-led solutions towards sustainable livelihoods in the livestock sector

Posted on by team galvmed

By: Keith Bohannon, Member Development Officer at Scotland Malawi Partnership

Having grown up in rural Ireland, I am very aware of the importance of agriculture to local communities, particularly in terms of providing livelihoods and stimulating economic activity. In many developing countries this reliance on agriculture is much more pronounced. For example in Malawi, as is the case for most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, almost 80% of the population live in rural areas and survive with very limited resources as subsistence small-holder farmers.

In such an environment where many households keep livestock such as cattle, goats and chickens, maintaining healthy animals can have a huge impact on the sustainability of the people’s livelihoods. This in turn has a huge impact on the opportunities available to members of the household in term of both health and education, particularly women and children.

At the Centre for Ticks and Tick Borne Diseases (CTTBD) launch today I learned that East Coast Fever (ECF) is the single biggest killer of cattle in Africa, killing more than 1 million cattle in the continent every year at an estimate cost of $260m in the east central region alone. Luckily there is a vaccine, in the form of the Muguga Cocktail vaccine. The challenge however is getting this vaccine to the people who need to access it most, where significant barriers exist in terms of access, cost and administrating the vaccine.

Based in Lilongwe the CTTBD is a centre for excellence for veterinary medicine and the only place in Africa that produces the ECF vaccine. The centre not only makes the vaccine but also provides training and support for its distribution and the development of new disease control techniques. Under the auspices of the African Union, in partnership with Scottish-based organisation GALVmed, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Government, the CTTBD is truly an example of a global partnership enabling a Malawian-based centre to meet Africa’s needs.

At the launch we were joined by a host of VIPs and delegates, all gathering to give a strong endorsement to the important work of the centre. While it was great to be present to witness such an event I can’t help but reflect that the true impact of the centre will only start after all the formalities are over.  After the speeches and presentations, what we are left with is a real example of mutually beneficial partnerships, which have resulted in an African-owned, and African-run centre, delivering tangible solutions towards sustainable livelihoods and economic empowerment to the region. This truly is something to celebrate.

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Follow CTTBD’s launch on Friday 5th December. Use the Twitter hashtag #cttbdmalawi to find out more before, during and after the event!

CTTBD: Reinforcing the business model

Posted on by team galvmed

Written by: Beatrice Ouma, Communications Manager at GALVmed

The Centre for Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases was officially launched on Friday 5, December 2014. The centre is currently producing the Muguga cocktail East Coast fever vaccine, which will be distributed to up to 11 countries in Africa.

Everybody I have talked to seems to read from the same script. It’s been a long journey for CTTBD to get where it is today, to be able to launch itself as a centre of excellence for vaccine production and training for young scientists in Africa. There have been a lot of challenges along the way. But also, everyone I have spoken to is optimistic about the future of CTTBD. Why? Because there is so much business potential for CTTBD and many hopes riding on the ECF vaccine. And with a deadly disease ravaging parts of East and Central Africa, threatening millions of livelihoods, the vaccine uptake may not be as big of an issue, but rather meeting the demand.

While giving an overview of the vaccine production at the Centre, Dr. George Chaka, the vaccine production manager at CTTBD mentioned that a vaccine batch takes up to 18 months to produce. Science is a slow process and CTTBD wants to make sure that the quality of their vaccine is very good. But just as science cannot be rushed, death waits for no one (or animal for that matter).

Now that it has been launched, CTTBD has been put to task to meet the market demand. No doubt support from the consumer side was demonstrated by the number of people who attended the launch. Three ministers from countries that are potential customers, together with various heads of departments of veterinary services and a host of other dignitaries were there to witness the launch. Both ministers from Kenya and Uganda assured CTTBD of their countries’ support. It means that for CTTBD, it will not be business as usual. Certain gears have to be engaged to ensure a smooth process from production, marketing and selling of the vaccine, to make sure that their end users have a continuous supply of the vaccine.

That is why GALVmed CEO Peter Jeffries said during the launch that we must reinforce the business model for sustainability of not only the production of the vaccine but for the centre as well. And we all have a part to play. A lot of people have already played a part; GALVmed was singled out as having provided a substantial support to CTTBD. Equipment has been bought, capacity has been built and buildings refurbished. Now CTTBD has to take the mantle and fly with it.

Because it’s a matter of life and death.

And as the farmer representative MP Felix Jumbe said during the launch, “We want to see zero death as a result of ECF.”

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Follow CTTBD’s launch on Friday 5th December. Use the Twitter hashtag #cttbdmalawi to find out more before, during and after the event!