NBA APPROVES TB, SHIGELLOSIS VACCINES FOR TRIALS

 NBA APPROVES TB, SHIGELLOSIS VACCINES FOR TRIALS

..as authority issues research permits of the trials.

By Alfonso Kasongo
Zambia has approved two clinical trials  for tuberculosis and shigellosis vaccines to be conducted in the country by the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) .

This follows the issuance of the two research permits by the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) to allow CIDRZ to conduct human trials for Tuberculosis and Shigellosis vaccines in Lusaka and Ndola.

Zambia is among the global leaders contributing to data on Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) vaccine development and has been considered as a research destination for enteric disease and other vaccine research.


In Zambia, Shigella has a high prevalence of 34.7 percent in children with diarrhea and an attributable fraction of 6.7 percent in children with moderate to severe diarrhea.

And Zambia is among top 30 countries globally with tuberculosis burden.In 2019, there were approximately 59 000 new individuals with active TB disease in the country representing incidence rate of 333 per 100 000 per year, which resulted in 15 400 TB-related deaths, of which 62 percent were among people living with HIV.

According to NBA, The tuberberculosis vaccine trials will be conducted at Chawama Level 1 hospital,Center for Family Health Research in Zambia (CFHRZ ) at Emmasdale and Ndola sites.

Others facilities include ZAMBART at  Kanyama Level 1 hospital.

The shigellosis trials will be conducted at Matero Clinical Research Site (CRS).

The  trials are aimed at fighting Tuberculosis  and blood diarrhoea .

Authority Chief Executive Officer Luckson Tonga announced yesterday that "the authority also issued two research permits to conduct clinical trials for a Tuberculosis and Shigellosis vaccines."
Lackson Tonga-NBA Chief Executive Officer

The NBA approved the two research permits after conducting risk assessments to determine the safety of the vaccines for use in the trial.

This was to ascertain the levels of genetically modified organisms present in the two vaccines.


CIDRZ through the Enteric Disease and Vaccine Research Department Research team participated at the Vaccines Against Shigella & ETEC (VASE) Conference held in the United States of America from 29th November 2022 to 1st December 2022. 

The team successfully presented 16 abstracts on Cholera, Shigella, Enterotoxigenic E coli and other diarrheagenic e coli, as well as incidence of causes of diarrhea among children in Zambia.

NBA is a statutory body established under the Biosafety Act No. 10 of 2007 to regulates the research, development, application, importation, export, transit, contained use, release or placing on the market of any GMO/LMO whether intended for use as a pharmaceutical, food, feed or processing, or a product of a GMO also to ensure that any activity involving the use or a product of GMO prevents any socio-economic impact or harm to human, animal health and the environment in the country.
 


 

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