Ecohealth Alliance Inc

DTRA CCHF: The objective of this grant is to reduce the threat of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) by determining the presence and scale of CCHF virus (CCHFV) circulation in Tanzania. The awardee shall establish a multi-disciplinary team of Tanzanian and international One Health professionals to collect fundamental data on CCHFV, conduct rigorous scientific analyses and support the Government of Tanzania in the development of policies to control and reduce the threat of CCHF. Using a One Health approach the awardee shall investigate the following three hypotheses: 1) CCHFV is circulating in ticks, livestock and wildlife in Tanzania; 2) CCHFV is present and circulating in the human population in Tanzania; 3) CCHFV prevalence, seroprevalence and vector abundance will vary across an environmental disturbance gradient from peri-urban communities, to pastoral rangelands, to protected wildlife areas. The awardee shall support the capacity of Tanzanian human and animal health laboratories to detect anti-CCHFV antibodies, train Tanzanian field researchers and provide vital data to Tanzanian government partners and stakeholders to develop policies to prepare for and reduce the threat of a CCHF outbreak.

DTRA RVFV- Reducing the Threat of Rift Valley Fever through Ecology, Epidemiology and Socio-Economics: The objective of this grant is to reduce the threat of RVF by improving the understanding of RVFV circulation during inter-epidemic periods, improving local capacity to predict periods of high risk for RVF outbreaks and determining the multi-sectoral cost of RVF in the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Studies in the Free State/Northern Cape (FS/NC) and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) regions will generate new understanding of RVF maintenance, circulation and impacts and improve risk prediction models for the country. Through multi-disciplinary investigation of three core hypotheses, the project shall strengthen South Africa's leadership role within the African continent to reduce the threat of RVF and other vector-borne diseases through the characterization of RVFV epidemiology and ecology in tropical and temperate ecosystems.

DTRA Jordan: The objective of this grant is to reduce the threat of high-consequence zoonotic pathogens in Jordan and improve regional disease surveillance capacity. Jordan faces risk of several zoonoses of concern to human and animal health, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Avian Influenza (AI), with fundamental knowledge and capacity gaps around the distribution and determinants of zoonoses. Recent work by our team detected MERS-CoV in camels and people in Jordan, suggesting ongoing and unmitigated transmission risk of a priority pathogen. The study generates critical advances in determining the presence of zoonotic pathogens in the country and opportunities for public health intervention. Through a prospective human cohort study coordinated with animal sampling, we will conduct biological and behavioral surveillance in five regions of Jordan with livestock production interfaces to determine the presence and risk factors for MERS-CoV, AI, brucellosis, and leptospirosis to identify modifiable risk factors.

Other miscellaneous programs