Health school to combat killer diseases
Scientists aim to combat the world's killer diseases through a newly-launched Global Health Academy at Edinburgh University
Scientists aim to combat the world's killer diseases through a newly-launched Global Health Academy at Edinburgh University.
Experts from the fields of medicine, engineering and social sciences have joined forces to come up with solutions to halt the spread of malaria and sleeping sickness in the developing world.
Any advances made will be turned into practical help for some of the world's poorest communities.
Pandemic flu, diabetes and obesity will also be studied at the academy, which offers a range of online postgraduate degrees.
Director Professor Sue Welburn said: "The Global Health Academy is an important statement both of the commitment of the University of Edinburgh and of academics and practitioners around the world who are joining us to address global health issues. This is a unique opportunity to delivery research-driven education programmes designed to build capacity at a local level."
Scientists at the University's Centre for Infectious Diseases are already running a campaign to stamp out sleeping sickness.
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The initiative, funded by the UK Department for International Development, involves treating cattle with the disease before it can be passed on to humans via blood-sucking tsetse flies.
An estimated 50,000 people die of the disease every year in sub-Saharan Africa.
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