African Health – Saving Lives
Information on mortality and causes of death is central to monitoring health, setting and reaching development goals (such as reductions in infant mortality, child mortality and maternal mortality rates) and in formulating evidence-based health policies. According to the latest report on mortality and causes of death in South Africa, in 2015 five conditions contributed to the largest proportion of deaths in the country:
1) tuberculosis,
2) diabetes,
3) hypertension, stroke and heart disease,
4) HIV and
5) lung infections such as influenza and pneumonia, the latter principally affecting children.
The combination of deaths from infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and mortality from injuries experienced in South Africa has also been described as the quadruple burden of disease that is increasingly common across Africa.
UKZN is already a recognised global leader in some priority areas of medical research such as AIDS and Tuberculosis. The African Health Research Flagship project provides an opportunity to build and expand this existing strength to maximally impact the top five causes of death in South Africa. It will bring together researchers from across the Institution to identify potential high impact studies and to provide these with institutional support and linkages. For each of the top five causes of death, a community (group) of
researchers across disciplines and areas of study will be brought together to enhance their prospects of success. New knowledge or technologies that contribute to reducing the country’s disease burden have the potential to make the greatest impact in saving lives and enhancing UKZN’s reputation and impact on health in South Africa, Africa and globally.
Approach The African Health Flagship aims to strengthen UKZN’s research performance to impact on saving lives through strategic investment in university-wide, cutting-edge research to be world class on a sustainable basis serving as a mechanism for attracting and retaining the best students and staff. Among others, this research flagship investment strategy entails the:
1) Development of a critical mass of expertise, information and infrastructure that transcends individual contributions;
2) Establishment of select trans-disciplinary areas that traverse the boundaries of the existing four Colleges;
3) Establishment of key and strategic national and international partnerships in these key priority research areas;
4) Concentration of internal and external resources to enhance the quality and impact of the knowledge generated; and
5) Structured mentorship and training of science leaders.