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« Back to NewsThe global burden of Plasmodium vivax malaria is obscure and insidious
16 November 2021
EOCRU OUCRU Public Engagement Video
Until recently, Plasmodium falciparum dominated the malaria research landscape, and Plasmodium vivax infection was considered benign and inconsequential. We now know that this is not true: if not properly diagnosed and treated, P. vivax can lead to life-threatening syndromes and death. Professor Kevin Baird from EOCRU in Jakarta, Indonesia talks to OutBreak News Today
COVID-19 research at OUCRU
10 November 2021
Despite unprecedented disruptions caused globally by SARS-Cov-2, OUCRU has responded remarkably and addressed almost every important aspect of the pandemic, from its societal impact to viral genomic surveillance and COVID-19 therapy
Large-scale systematic review identifies research gaps in scrub typhus
2 November 2021
A new, extensive systematic review has identified significant research gaps in the treatment of scrub typhus which could be improved by developing a database for individual participant data (IPD) to enable more detailed analyses to address important knowledge gaps such as the optimum dosing for children and to improve patient outcomes.
Tamoxifen repurposing study shows no benefit in treating deadly fungal meningitis
26 October 2021
Hopes that tamoxifen could improve survival for a deadly form of fungal meningitis have been dashed by the results of a clinical trial conducted by University of Oxford researchers and published today in eLife.
Largest ever global study of tuberculosis identifies genetic causes of drug resistance
22 October 2021
Using cutting-edge genomic sequencing techniques, researchers at the University of Oxford have identified almost all the genomic variation that gives people resistance to 13 of the most common tuberculosis drug treatments.
Second most common malaria parasite takes unrealized toll on human health
11 October 2021
The malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax causes frequent, chronic infections that represent a major unrecognized burden on global health, according to a review by Kevin Baird of the Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit in Indonesia and Katherine Battle of the Institute for Disease Modeling in the United States
Oxford and Oracle partner to speed identification of COVID-19 variants
21 September 2021
The fast spread of the highly infectious Delta variant underscores the need for faster identification of COVID-19 mutations. Uniting governments and medical communities in this challenge, the University of Oxford and Oracle’s Global Pathogen Analysis System (GPAS) is now being used by organizations on nearly every continent. Institutions using the platform include OUCRU in Vietnam and institutions in Canada, Chile, Australia and the UK. GPAS is also now part of the Public Health England New Variant Assessment Platform.
Congratulations new Associate Professors
14 September 2021
Awards & Appointments KWTRP MORU OUCRU
Following the meeting of the Medical Sciences Divisional Committee to consider applications for the conferral of the title of Associate Professor, we are pleased to announce that Rashan Haniffa, Dorcas Kamuya, Isabella Oyier, Le Van Tan and Timothy Walker have been awarded the title Associate Professor
OUCRU scientists identify combination of biological markers associated with severe dengue
22 June 2021
Nguyen Lam Vuong, Sophie Yacoub & colleagues have identified a combination of biological markers in patients with dengue that could predict whether they go on to develop moderate to severe disease. Biomarkers are used to identify the state or risk of a disease in patients; these findings could aid the development of biomarker panels for clinical use and help improve triage and risk prediction in patients with dengue.
What does the Oxford Malaria vaccine mean for Asia?
17 June 2021
A trial in infants and toddlers in Burkina Faso showed that experimental malaria vaccine R21/MM confers 77% protection, an unprecedented level and the first malaria vaccine to exceed WHO’s goal of 75% efficacy. While a larger trial is needed to assess its safety and efficacy, R21/MM may substantially reduce child mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. But this vaccine may be less relevant to Asia Pacific where malaria causes severe morbidity and mortality in all age groups, asymptomatic malaria infections are frequent, and the vaccine may not be effective against P. vivax.
Professors Peter Horby and Guy Thwaites recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours
12 June 2021
Awards & Appointments OCGHR OUCRU
The pioneering work of members of the University of Oxford has been recognised in The Queen's Birthday Honours List. The honorands include Professor Peter Horby and six researchers that have played key roles in leading the University’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic, from the development of new vaccines to the discovery of new drug treatments. Professor Guy Thwaites is appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
COVID-19 in Nepal: a lack of preparedness and a lack of vaccines
25 May 2021
COVID-19 in Nepal is out of hand and slowly, but surely tracking the infection in India. Although many healthcare workers have been vaccinated throughout the country, the actual vaccination rate is likely very low for the entire country. Buddha Basynat discusses Nepal’s COVID response so far, and why vaccines are an urgent priority.
Buddha Basnyat joins the RSTMH Board of Trustees
14 May 2021
Awards & Appointments OUCRU OUCRU-Nepal
Director for the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Nepal, Professor Buddha Basnyat is a medical doctor based in Kathmandu, Nepal. His research interests are infectious diseases and high altitude medicine, and he has almost 300 publications in peer-reviewed medical journals. One of his primary interests is to encourage young people to do clinical research.
How Nepal can survive a second COVID wave
5 May 2021
Nepal is seeing a COVID surge that is proportionately similar to India. While we try to treat the sick by increasing hospital space and ensuring oxygen supply, we must also plan for an exit strategy. Over-preparation rather than under-preparedness needs to be our mantra, with widespread vaccination the key to get us out of this pandemic, by Professor Buddha Basnyat
Communicating with communities for World Immunisation Week 2021
26 April 2021
World Immunization Week highlights the role vaccinations play in improving the health of communities. As the COVID pandemic continues to impact countries worldwide, governments are facing challenges related to coverage, equity and sustainability of routine immunisation alongside access and the particular maintenance requirements related to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Communication with communities has been key to ensure continued engagement with the vaccine programs despite the challenges of current contexts.
Supporting children to grow smarter, not just taller
21 April 2021
Anuraj Shankar from our EOCRU unit in Jakarta, Indonesia, with Elizabeth Prado and Leila Larson describe a meta-analysis showing that responsive caregiving boosts infants’ brain development. Parenting group sessions and home visits improve cognitive, language, and motor skills. And nutrition-only programmes have much less effect than comprehensive interventions.
World’s largest clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments expands internationally
22 February 2021
The Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) Trial, the world’s largest clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments, has now expanded internationally with Indonesia and Nepal among the first countries to join. The first patients have been recruited to RECOVERY International.
Indonesia’s decision to prioritise COVID-19 vaccination to citizens aged 18-59 years old questionable
2 February 2021
The Indonesian government policy to exclude the elderly in the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination program could hinder the vaccine’s impact in lowering mortality rates. COVID-19 mortality rates in Indonesia, the highest in Southeast Asia, are dominated by those in the 60 years and above age bracket. In this article published in The Conversation, Kartika Saraswati and fellow DPhil students elaborate how, by prioritising vaccination for elderly, Indonesia may optimally reduce the hospital burden and COVID-19 deaths amidst a limited vaccine supply during the first vaccination phase.
Pearl Gan, OUCRU Photographer in Residence, selected for the Lancet Highlights 2020
4 January 2021
Congratulations to Pearl Gan, OUCRU Photographer in Residence, for her winning image selected for the Lancet Highlights 2020: Framing Health Stories. Despite the difficulties of this pandemic year, The Lancet received fascinating and varied entries for our Highlights 2020 photography competition. 15 striking photographs were selected. Each picture captures a unique moment, highlighting a health story.
Youth against antimicrobial resistance
23 November 2020
The YAAR! project, bringing together young people from four countries in the Global South to help combat the challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), or drug resistant infections.
Oxford Global Research
23 October 2020
General KWTRP MORU OCGHR OUCRU
Oxford is world-famous for research excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. To showcase our global research, the University launched a Global Research Map, highlighting areas of research we are conducting overseas.
The impact of covid-19 on health delivery and research in South Asia
24 September 2020
Covid-19 continues to cause huge disruption worldwide. As well as the ongoing immediate health impacts of the pandemic, its economic toll is being felt across the world, particularly in LMICs like Nepal. In addition to the wide-ranging disruption of health services, Covid-19 has shifted research priorities and stalled other essential ongoing research. Despite many problems, Covid-19 has afforded a unique opportunity for a better understanding of health research and methodologies in infectious diseases.
ViParc project, OUCRU on the front line of fighting AMR
1 September 2020
Resistance to antibiotics is one of the key challenges to healthcare this century. Tackling it will require sweeping changes to antibiotic use in animals—and researchers from Oxford University Clinical Research Unit are rising to the challenge in Vietnam, with a rigorous test of programmes among farmers.
Trial results show a 77% reduction in dengue incidence in Wolbachia-treated communities
26 August 2020
The World Mosquito Program posted the results of a 3-year randomised controlled trial in Yogyakarta, Indonedia, providing compelling gold standard evidence for the efficacy of the Wolbachia method in controlling dengue. The deployment of Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes lead to a reduction of 77% in dengue incidence in Wolbachia-treated versus untreated areas.
New Tropical Medicine Associate Professors and University Research Lecturers
13 July 2020
Awards & Appointments COMRU EOCRU OUCRU OUCRU-Nepal
This year has seen a high level of recognition of distinction in the Africa and Asia Programmes and Global Health research. Many congratulations to our researchers.
Asymptomatic individuals shown to transmit SARS-CoV-2 infection in Vietnam
3 July 2020
Dr Le Van Tan in OUCRU, in collaboration with the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and the Department of Health, has shown that it is common for people who are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) to have no symptoms whatsoever. By testing quarantined people in Vietnam, his team was able to detect asymptomatic individuals. The virus disappeared faster from the bodies of the asymptomatic carriers than from that of symptomatic individuals, but it appeared that some of them still managed to pass the infection on to others.
How Vietnam managed to keep its coronavirus death toll at zero
1 June 2020
Despite a long border with China and a population of 97 million people, Vietnam has recorded only just over 300 cases of Covid-19 and not a single death. The country very quickly enacted measures such as travel restrictions, monitoring and eventually closing border with China, closing schools and increasing health checks at borders and other vulnerable places. A vast and labour intensive contact tracing operation got under way. Quarantine on such a vast scale is key as evidence mounts that as many as half of all infected people are asymptomatic.
Community drama about vaccination in Binh Phuoc, Vietnam
16 March 2020
This community drama programme was designed by the OUCRU Public and Community Engagement group to raise awareness about the importance of vaccinations in remote areas of Binh Phuoc province. The majority of the population are ethnic minority groups with limited access to health promotion. Without even radio as a method of dissemination, home visits by local healthcare workers is the main way to encourage the community to get vaccinated. Scripted very closely to the context of everyday lives, this play helps understand more about vaccinations and explains how to access the National Expanded Programme on Immunization.
Sophie Yacoub nominated Emerging Leader in Infectious Diseases
20 December 2019
In recognition of her past contributions to the field of international infectious diseases and in anticipation of her future impact on the discipline, Sophie Yacoub, Dengue Research Group Head at OUCRU, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is recognised as ISID Emerging Leader in International Infectious Diseases.
Typhoid vaccine over 81% effective in tackling disease in Nepal
11 December 2019
A large field study of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) in Nepal has shown a single dose to be safe and effective in reducing typhoid in children aged 9 months to <16 years in an endemic setting. OUCRU-Nepal Professor Buddha Basnyat took part in this study.
Picturing health: dengue in Vietnam published in The Lancet
6 December 2019
Earlier this year, OUCRU Photographer in Residence Pearl Gan conducted a project focusing on dengue. In that project, she took photos of dengue patients and health care workers at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She also took photos of dengue patients in their homes and at research sites in the city. This project was funded by the Wellcome Trust, and this week selected photos from that project have been published in The Lancet as a photo story.
The practice and ethics of participatory visual methods for community engagement in public health and health science
26 November 2019
Mary Chambers (OUCRU Public Engagement Vietnam) and Gill Black (Sustainable Livelihood Foundation, South Africa) have partnered with The Global Health Network training centre to published this online course and handbook
Pearl Gan, photographer in residence at OUCRU in Vietnam and EOCRU in Indonesia wins FIGO's 2019 photo competition
16 October 2019
Awards & Appointments EOCRU OUCRU
A mother and her baby leave a Puskesmas - a government-mandated primary care clinic - in West Java, Indonesia, following a check-up. The woman smiles, as the infant stares out from the safety of a bright sarong wrap. This quiet moment of active participation in their own health and well-being is the realisation of a fundamental human right. WHO’s vision for primary health care in the 21st century is to ensure the highest possible level of health and well-being, with equitable distribution.
Faces of malaria
25 April 2019
Today April 25 is World Malaria Day. We would like to highlight a malaria photography project by photographer Pearl Gan, in collaboration with OUCRU in Vietnam and EOCRU in Indonesia. Pearl's malaria project aims to bring visibility to the people and their malaria burden through her photographs of them and their environment. She hopes to humanise the faces of malaria and the malaria problem in the Asia-Pacific to audiences unfamiliar with it.
OUCRU Photographer in Residence recognised by ISNTD
26 March 2019
OUCRU Photographer in Residence Pearl Gan has been awarded the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD) Festival Award for her submission to the ISNTD Festival Showcase. Pearl submission included seven photographs, and was recognised for its impact on tropical diseases and its broader development goals.
Congratulations to Jeremy Farrar, knighted in the New Year's Honours 2019.
8 January 2019
Director of Wellcome since 2013, Jeremy Farrar was previously Director of our OUCRU Vietnam programme for 18 years. He has published almost 600 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and mentored many dozens of students and fellows. These honours recognise the outstanding commitment and contribution Jeremy has made to science and medicine, and to improving health for individuals and communities globally.
Congratulations to Abhilasha Karkey, ASTMH 2018 Alan J. Magill Fellowship Recipient
1 January 2019
Awards & Appointments OUCRU OUCRU-Nepal
Abhilasha Karkey, medical microbiologist at our OUCRU Unit in Kathmandu, Nepal, received the 2018 Magill Fellowship at the ASTMH conference in New Orleans. "Persistent gender inequality in science has severely limited women from achieving their potential to effectively contribute to scientific knowledge. I would like to grow as a leader and thereby encourage and inspire other scientists – especially women in South Asia."
Lancet Highlight 2018: Walking out of the shadows: leprosy care in Bangladesh
22 December 2018
A photo from Pearl Gan, Photographer In Residence for OUCRU, was selected for The Lancet Highlights 2018. The picture shows Senior Nurse Shikh Rema changing the dressing for Jabeda Begom, a 65-year-old woman with leprosy, at the Jalchatra Hospital in Bangladesh. Treatment of leprosy is a lengthy process, but thanks to dedicated staff, patients are given the care and attention they need.
The large footprint of the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health
12 December 2018
This article, written by Professor Nick Day at MORU and published in the November 2018 issue of the Oxford Alumni Newsletter, describes in a nutshell all the good work our Centre is doing to promote Global Oxford.
Asia's invisible malaria, a photograph exhibition by Pearl Gan
12 October 2018
People who live with malaria in the Asia-Pacific are often invisible – a photograph exhibition by Pearl Gan introduces us to these invisible people, giving them flesh, blood, feelings, and lives. 5-30 November 2018 in Jakarta
Bridget Wills awarded Sir Rickard Christophers Medal
21 September 2018
Congratulations Bridget Wills, Professor of Tropical Medicine at our OUCRU unit in vietnam, awarded RSTMH Sir Rickard Christophers Medal. The Sir Rickard Christophers Medal is awarded triennially for work in tropical medicine and hygiene in its broadest sense and in particular for practical and field applications.
Tackling drug resistance on Asian farms with apps and a dictionary
21 August 2018
The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Ho Chi Minh City is participating in a project to reduce antibiotic resistance on farms in Asia by educating farmers. Juan Carrique-Mas of the Clinical Research Unit said: “We're improving the knowledge base of farmers and vets rather than a ban on antibiotics, which would be unlikely to be complied with.”
New evidence supports radical treatment of widespread form of malaria
20 July 2018
A team of malaria experts from a large international research collaboration has today published results supporting the need for a radical cure strategy to tackle one of the most debilitating forms of malaria caused by the Plasmodium vivax parasite.
Old drug, new role – eLife podcast
1 June 2018
Aspirin helps increase survival from TB meningitis by reducing brain inflammation and preventing the disease from blocking blood vessels in the brain that cause parts of the brain to die, commonly called ‘stroke’.
Genetics sheds light on the spread of TB bacteria
22 May 2018
In a first of its kind study into the population and spread of tuberculosis-causing (TB) bacteria in Ho Chi Minh City, Thuong Thuong Nguyn and collegues at OUCRU Vietnam, Australia, UK and Singapore have found that more than half of cases can be attributed to one particular strain of the bacteria.
Guy Thwaites elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences
11 May 2018
Seven Oxford scientists are amongst 48 of the UK's world-leading researchers elected to join the prestigious Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences this year. Fellows are elected for their outstanding contributions to biomedical and health science, leading research discoveries, and translating developments into benefits for patients and the wider society.
To defeat superbugs, everyone will need access to clean water
24 April 2018
While many LMICs still lack appropriate access to antibiotics, a global increase is driven largely by some developing countries which face more drug-resistant infections. To tackle antimicrobial resistance, we need to look at all the factors behind how and when antibiotics are used. A common obstacle is lack of access to clean water, which makes preventing and controlling infections nearly impossible.
Making malaria visible
27 March 2018
Professor Kevin Baird, Head of EOCRU in Jakarta, Indonesia, talks about how more needs to be done to mitigate the threat of malaria in Asia Pacific. This article includes photos from Pearl Gan who travelled through the Asia Pacific region to capture the stories of people and communities impacted by malaria.
Could aspirin be used to treat tuberculous meningitis?
6 March 2018
Science Blog. Professor Guy Thwaites, Director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Vietnam, explains the discovery of yet another use for one of the most ubiquitous and ancient of drugs – aspirin.
Salmonella and antibiotic residues found in meat in Vietnam
9 February 2018
Over two-thirds of meat samples from Ho Chi Minh City were found to contain Salmonella bacteria, according to a study by the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU). Researchers purchased 117 samples of chicken meat, beef and pork from retail sites in 2016-2017; 68.4% of those samples were found to contain Salmonella bacteria.