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Strategy: Multi-disciplinary, inter-institutional (national and international) research projects in the field of infections and infectious diseases, making measurable contributions to both the national and international body of knowledge and to the improvement of the health status of the people of South Africa.
Interdisciplinary research in the field of infectious diseases presents significant opportunities and has the potential to impact on the health of our communities. The challenges and opportunities presented by the current impact of infectious diseases therefore demands a concerted effort by various disciplines such as Medicine, Paediatric Medicine, Microbiology, Virology, Behavioural Sciences and Public Health. The Centre for Infectious Diseases is proposed to enable the Faculty of Health Sciences to contribute significantly to new knowledge related to infectious diseases.
The centre's multi-disciplinary, national and international inter-institutional research projects in the field of infections and infectious diseases make measurable contributions to both the national and international body of knowledge and to the improvement of the health status of the people of South Africa.
The research agenda for the centre, from a Southern African health perspective, primarily focuses on the following areas of strategic importance:
- Describing the scope, severity and epidemiology of infectious diseases in our communities.
- Optimising the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases in our communities.
- Presenting intervention programmes in infectious diseases and the evaluation of such programs regarding implementation and outcomes.
- Investigation and intervention in infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities not only in South Africa but also in other African countries.
The research programmes of the centre actively build and pursue professional relationships with key role players in South Africa in this area. Effective networks and productive partnerships are the cornerstones in achieving the centre's goals.
| RESEARCH FOCUS AREAS | HEALTH PROBLEM | PRESENT STATUS OF RESEARCH |
| Diseases with a high prevalence in our community | Tuberculosis HIV | See research agendas of KIDCRU, Medical Microbiology and Virology attached (Addendum 3, 4, 5) |
| Environmental health | Environmental pollution in our communities, particularly pollution of our rivers with faeces due to poor sanitation | See research agenda of Medical Microbiology attached |
| Drugs and drug strategies | Observational and programme evaluation studies of the antiretroviral rollout | See research agendas of KIDCRU and Medical Microbiology attached |
| Tickborne diseases | Epidemiological, clinical and diagnostic studies of the tick-borne diseases that occur in the Western Cape | Research proposals formulated for 2006: tick-borne diseases research group |
| Prospective clinical trials on new drugs and drug strategies | Drugs used and new drugs to be used, particularly for tuberculosis and HIV | See research agenda of KIDCRU attached |
CID has the additional benefit of collaborating closely and drawing upon the rich experience, knowledge and skills of the Desmond Tutu TB Centre, the DST/NRF Centre of Excellence in Biomedical TB Research, the MRC/Stellenbosch 肆客足球 Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology and the Paediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group. Ukwanda, as another already established and functional structure in the faculty, offers the centre unique opportunities to enrich its core business activities.
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