GHTM Reasearchers have continously driven breakthroughts and shaped health and policy worldwide. Everyday we strive to produce high-quality scientific evidence within a GLOBAL HEALTH IN ONE HEALTH VISION. Moreover, our members are comitted to capacity building with partners worldwide. Below you can find a collection of these stories and cases.
Enhancing vector-borne disease research and control: the impact of VIASEF
Posted:
2024-09-05
VIASEF is a biocontainment infrastructure designed to facilitate research and development activities with invasive, exotic, or transgenic arthropods and human/animal pathogens transmitted by them that may pose biosecurity risks. Its a convertible infrastructure, able to address different types of public health emergencies. This was evidenced when, within the first six months of its inauguration, VIASEF focused its research on SARS-CoV-2, while establishing mosquito colonies of medical importance.
VIASEF has made significant contributions to vector-borne disease research and control.
Projects have focused on innovative vector control strategies, within the framework of insecticides, repellents, and trapping methods have shown enhanced efficacy in reducing vector populations and disease transmission. Moreover, VIASEF has contributed for the testing of innovative compounds as mosquito repellents/larvicides and is part of a project led by the University of California Malaria Initiative (UCMI) in São Tomé and Príncipe, involving field research on malaria mosquito vectors and capacity building on transgenic technologies, as a novel tool to eliminate malaria transmission in the region. Also, it is involved in developing an artificial diet (BLOODless) as an alternative to vertebrate blood which is traditionally used to feed mosquitoes, currently being tested in various African countries to assess its applicability and sustainability.
Achievements include innovations like a bloodless mosquito diet and a spatial repellent for malaria control.
Furthermore, VIASEF acts as a hub for teaching and collaborations with local communities and healthcare professionals, fostering knowledge transfer and capacity building. This has allowed individuals and institutions to effectively manage vector-borne diseases, leading to improved prevention and control. The UCMI in São Tomé and Príncipe, for example, facilitates the exchange of knowledge and expertise among partners. VIASEF also provides an exceptional environment for the development of MSc and PhD theses, with 3 MSc theses concluded and supporting 2 ongoing PhD theses thus far. Findings have informed public health policies at both regional and national levels.
VIASEF has improved disease surveillance, diagnostic tools, and knowledge transfer, improving public health and societal well-being.
The impact achieved is a proof of collaborative efforts, significant funding, partnerships with various stakeholders and dissemination through scientific publications and conferences. Overall, VIASEF, the only one of its kind in Portugal, has changed vector-borne disease research and control, leading to significant advancements in vector control strategies, disease surveillance, diagnostics, and policy influence.
Click here to visit VIASEF and get updates on the most recent projects.
Enhancing vector-borne disease research and control: the impact of VIASEF
Enhancing vector-borne disease research and control: the impact of VIASEF
VIASEF is a biocontainment infrastructure designed to facilitate research and development activities with invasive, exotic, or transgenic arthropods and human/animal pathogens transmitted by them that may pose biosecurity risks. Its a convertible infrastructure, able to address different types of public health emergencies. This was evidenced when, within the first six months of its inauguration, VIASEF focused its research on SARS-CoV-2, while establishing mosquito colonies of medical importance.
VIASEF has made significant contributions to vector-borne disease research and control.
Projects have focused on innovative vector control strategies, within the framework of insecticides, repellents, and trapping methods have shown enhanced efficacy in reducing vector populations and disease transmission. Moreover, VIASEF has contributed for the testing of innovative compounds as mosquito repellents/larvicides and is part of a project led by the University of California Malaria Initiative (UCMI) in São Tomé and Príncipe, involving field research on malaria mosquito vectors and capacity building on transgenic technologies, as a novel tool to eliminate malaria transmission in the region. Also, it is involved in developing an artificial diet (BLOODless) as an alternative to vertebrate blood which is traditionally used to feed mosquitoes, currently being tested in various African countries to assess its applicability and sustainability.Achievements include innovations like a bloodless mosquito diet and a spatial repellent for malaria control.
Furthermore, VIASEF acts as a hub for teaching and collaborations with local communities and healthcare professionals, fostering knowledge transfer and capacity building. This has allowed individuals and institutions to effectively manage vector-borne diseases, leading to improved prevention and control. The UCMI in São Tomé and Príncipe, for example, facilitates the exchange of knowledge and expertise among partners. VIASEF also provides an exceptional environment for the development of MSc and PhD theses, with 3 MSc theses concluded and supporting 2 ongoing PhD theses thus far. Findings have informed public health policies at both regional and national levels.
VIASEF has improved disease surveillance, diagnostic tools, and knowledge transfer, improving public health and societal well-being.
The impact achieved is a proof of collaborative efforts, significant funding, partnerships with various stakeholders and dissemination through scientific publications and conferences. Overall, VIASEF, the only one of its kind in Portugal, has changed vector-borne disease research and control, leading to significant advancements in vector control strategies, disease surveillance, diagnostics, and policy influence.Click here to visit VIASEF and get updates on the most recent projects.
MulhereSTrop – Network of Portuguese Speaking Women in Tropical Health
Posted:
2024-09-05
We develop Workshops and provide dedicated Mentoring. Our Training in Cientific communication is available online and is taught by GHTM-IHMT researchers.
The network counts with women from Angola, Cabo Verde, Mozambique and Portugal.
Workshop in Maputo – February 2024
Workshops on Scientifc Writing
Number of publications by participants
You can find out more on our website or contact us via e-mail.
MulhereSTrop – a network for the empowerment of lusophone women scientists
MulhereSTrop – Network of Portuguese Speaking Women in Tropical Health
We develop Workshops and provide dedicated Mentoring. Our Training in Cientific communication is available online and is taught by GHTM-IHMT researchers.
The network counts with women from Angola, Cabo Verde, Mozambique and Portugal.
Workshop in Maputo – February 2024
Workshops on Scientifc Writing
Number of publications by participants
You can find out more on our website or contact us via e-mail.
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic in a context of social inequalities in health: a cross-sectional study in the native and immigrant population of Amadora
Professor Maria do Rosário Martins received the 2020 Human Rights Award for her work coordinating the first comparative study in Portugal on the consequences of Covid-19 in immigrant families and Portuguese nationals in the municipality of Amadora. This work was financed by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the “Research 4 COVID-19” special programme.
The professor and leader of the Population health, policies and services (PPS) Research Group also highlighted that inequalities are even greater if we consider the social and economic effects of the pandemic crisis. The award-winning study, which monitored 420 native and immigrant families, mainly from the CPLP, living in Amadora since 2019, showed that immigrants were the most penalized in economic and social terms, and also demonstrated increased difficulties in accessing health care during the pandemic.
WHAT TYPE OF INTERVENTIONS WERE MADE IN THE SHORT-TERM?
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- Access Difficulties identified were reported to the ACES (Group of Healthcare Centers), which attempted to resolve the situation within the existing restrictions.
- Sensitive social cases were forwarded to AJPAS, which contacted the families directly and proposed solutions.
- Patients suffering from Covid-19 with a complex socioeconomic situation were signaled to the ACES public health unit for domicilary interventions with the families.
Human Rights: Healthcare for migrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic
