Inside the box, with the letters
KEMRI proudly printed, are found the PA-method diagnostic kits ("PA
KITS") used to diagnose the AIDS/HIV, as well as Hepatitis B
diagnostic kits ("HEPCELL 2"). Both of them are portable
blood screening tools. KEMRI stands for the Kenya Medical Research
Institute, a top-level medical research institute in the country.
The Institute was founded with a grant
aid program (worth around 2.8 billion yen) which the Japanese
Government started in 1982. The Institute plays a leading role in
various medical fields.
Upon request from the Kenyan Government, the Japanese Government has
since 1990 supported preventive programs against infectious diseases,
with positive results in the prevention of hepatitis, diarrhea, AIDS,
and the acute respiratory disease, the leading cause of death among
children. The continuous support activities include the intensification
of securing safe blood against such diseases as HIV/AIDS and viral
hepatitis, as well as the prevention and treatment of "secondary"
infections, risk factors among ill people with low immune system.
Another issue is coming up with measurement against parasites, for
which there is another project under way.
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As establishing a safe, reliable
blood screening system is the first step toward solving various medical
problems, and in order to meet domestic demands, the KEMRI began,
as a trial, producing the medical screening kits in 2001. After repeated
testing, the kits were approved by the Kenyan Government. This is
a revolutionary event in Africa. The domestic production of such medical
kits can cut the cost of blood screening for AIDS (with the PA kits)
by half, and for Hepatitis B (with the HEPCELL2) by one-third. While
the production line for making the kits available nationwide will
soon complete, there are impending questions such as how to distribute
them and how to cope with diagnoses.
Still, given our belief that detecting diseases at the early stages
allows efficient prevention and treatment, one of our missions is
to do what we can do now.We also need to provide the Kenyans with
the means by which they can independently produce the kits and produce
visible results in public health, even after the completion of the
Japanese cooperation. |
