Led by the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health at NDM, the scientists are set to investigate the number of children and adults affected by chikungunya at sites in Kenya and Tanzania.
Chikungunya is typically characterised by fever and severe joint pain, which is often debilitating and can last for weeks, months or even years, severely impacting quality of life. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. Some populations are at higher risk of severe disease and death.
While chikungunya outbreaks are occurring with increasing regularity around the world—with over 480,000 cases reported this year globally—testing remains largely limited in East Africa and there is concern that cases are largely going unreported.
From early spring 2025, all patients, including children, presenting at ten healthcare facilities across the two countries with fever or neurological symptoms will therefore be screened and tested for chikungunya virus.
The new research—known as the Accelerating CHIkungunya burden Estimation to inform Vaccine Evaluation (ACHIEVE) study—will be supported by USD 10.3 million (GBP 7.9 million) funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
The ACHIEVE study team—which includes scientists at the University of Oxford, University of Nairobi, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Centre for Global Health Research, the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme and the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania—will collect this information over the next three years to better estimate the number of people with chikungunya in the region and inform outbreak planning efforts.
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM) website.