Infectious diseases modelling and epidemiology
About 80% of Ethiopians’ health problems are due to communicable diseases and malnutrition. Malaria is the number one cause of morbidity and mortality in the nation followed by tuberculosis and HIV (as cause of mortality). In addition to the existing problems nationwide, water resource development is associated with marked change in the epidemiology of infectious diseases. It aggravates existing vector borne diseases. Despite the magnitude of the problem, integrated studies and the evaluation of intervention strategies are scarce. Beyond the health problems, these diseases have also contributed negatively to the economic development of the nation.
Different faculties (Public Health, Medical, Natural Sciences and Education) are involved in this collaborative project. The main objective is to reduce the infectious diseases burden to improve human health and productivity of the targeted community. The epidemiology of important infectious diseases (tuberculosis, HIV/Aids and malaria) is studied in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality related to these diseases. The project consists of 3 subprojects: (i) statistical modelling of infectious diseases and the development of a Masters programme in Biostatistics, (ii) understanding the epidemiology of malaria in relation to the vector Anopheles leading to interventions that reduce the morbidity and mortality of malaria and (iii) understanding the epidemiology of important infectious diseases (tuberculosis, HIV/Aids and malaria) leading to interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality.