Blog #9: South African and US Collaborate on Medical Research

Blog #9: South African and US Collaborate on Medical Research 

The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the American National Institutes of Health (NIH) are awarding 31 grants to American and South African scientists to support research targeting HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and HIV-related co- morbidities and cancers. The new awards will support research conducted at eight South African institutions and link scientists at these institutions with American researchers at more than 20 US-based research organisations, including the NIH. In addition to NIAID, other NIH institutes and centres participating in the South Africa US Program for Collaborative Biomedical Research include the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Fogarty International Center and the Office of AIDS Research.

Analysis: I thought this was a great article to touch on simple because of the collaboration of these two to help fight infectious diseases that have been harming people for so long now. In chapter 10 where we talked about population and health, we discussed diseases such as AIDS/HIV and TB which effect many people, about 20 percent HIV rates in places like South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. The U.S teaming up with South Africa in hopes to find cures for these infectious disease is pretty awesome, and it could potentially lead to the discovery to a cure, or even something to help out with life expectancy while having these diseases. It is important to help lower the percentage of folks with these disease, because something as powerful as HIV could wipe out an entire population over time left unstopped. It takes more than research to help eliminate these diseases, but this is clearly a great starting ground. 

Article URL:http://www.southafrica.info/about/health/medical-grant-160415.htm#.VTBefc5H0b0

Citation: "SouthAfrica.info." South Africa and US Collaborate on Medical Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015. <http://www.southafrica.info/about/health/medical-grant-160415.htm#.VTBefc5H0b0>.

April 16, 2015 9:38 P.M