Approaches of the JICA-AMED SATREPS Project to Controlling Outbreaks of Yellow Fever and Rift Valley Fever in Kenya

Abstract

Nagasaki University has conducted a JICA-AMED SATREPS project entitled “Development of Rapid Diagnostics and the Establishment of an Alert System for Outbreaks of Yellow Fever and Rift Valley Fever in Kenya.” This project, which ran for the 5-year period from January 2012 to January 2017, aimed to tackle yellow fever and Rift Valley fever in Kenya, as the name implies. The project was carried out in conjunction with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Kenya. The specific aims of this project were (1) the development of new diagnostics, (2) the strengthening of reference laboratories, and (3) the development of a disease outbreak alert system, particularly to control outbreaks of yellow fever (YF) and Rift Valley fever (RVF). The RVF virus IgM-capture ICT kit, “ImmunoLine^TM,” and YF virus IgM-capture ELISA, “KemLisa^TM,” were developed as new point-of-care tests. A neutralization test for the confirmation of these arbovirus infections was introduced to the central and local reference laboratories. This project also developed a new disease outbreak alert system, “mSOS,” which the MOH of Kenya has extended nationwide by integrating it into the national health information system (DHIS2).