April 2007 Report
Summary:
The month was an eventful one with visits from the Hopkins PI for the development of MIAM, Dr. Clive Shiff, as well as the Hopkins PI and the Ph D student on the Immunology Project, Dr. Kumar and Dr. LeBlanc. Early in the month we were also privileged to have a visit from Prof Bob Snow of the University of Oxford and KEMRI, who came to give an evaluation as an external consultant. The many discussions held with those who visited this month were extremely helpful as plans for MIAM's future are made.
April continued to see significant research activity at MIAM, and by late in the month the over-used vehicles for the field study projects began to show the wear and tear, as two of them were off the road at the same time! This caused cancellations of some field work, though most planned work was eventually carried out.
Work continued in the molecular biology lab and insectary, with more PCR work being done that will be incorporated into abstracts planned for submission for the ASTMH conference in November in Philadelphia. The insectary has been able to rear anopheline mosquitoes to the second generation, a significant achievement. The new clinical research lab began operation under the guidance of volunteer Dr. Sue Penno during April, with the initial project being a trial of the tuberculosis culture system.
Internet access for MIAM staff and researchers became problematic in early April when a routine firmware upgrade carried out by the C-band VSAT external provider caused the newly purchased main satellite modem to malfunction. This made MIAM rely on the smaller and more limited back-up Ku-band VSAT, which only provides shared broadband service. Unfortunately the malfunctioning C-band modem could only be fixed by installing a whole new modem, which had to be shipped to Zambia, and was due to be received and installed by month's end.
I - General Site Development and Maintenance
As the rains decreased in April so did the growth of the grass on the MIAM campus, leading to less work to try and keep the campus looking nice! Staff were able to put time into other campus projects, including the layout and development of a volley-ball court for staff recreational use. Donations of a net and ball came from some former BIC missionaries in Zambia, and a group of about 30 missionaries scheduled to be on the MIAM campus in early May for a three day retreat, will enjoy the use of the court.
The campus was alive with bird sounds much of the month - especially from the many Crowned Plovers which inhabit the wide open spaces of the campus this time of the year. Their characteristic loud calls could be heard any time they were disturbed - making them effective alarms at night time - providing warning of anyone moving about on the campus!
II - Construction of Buildings
The USAID-funded building project continued to make progress, with roof trusses for the dormitory and kitchen/dining room buildings being constructed and readied for installation by months' end. Staff House 'C' had electrical and plumbing work completed, with final painting being delayed until all internal plastered walls were completely dry. House 'D' saw progress on the foundation, with backfill being used to prepare the base for the floor slab.
III - Information Technology
After getting the higher capacity C-band VSAT back on line in late March, a routine firmware upgrade in early April to the satellite modem (carried out by the external internet provider based in Europe), caused the modem to malfunction and stop working. Thus, internet access once again became less than optimal, as we had to rely for all internet communication on the back-up Ku-band VSAT with lower capacity and shared service with other international users. The company we had contracted to provide VSAT service arranged for a new modem to be shipped to Zambia to replace the damaged one, and it was hoped that the new unit would be installed and made operational by early May.
The newly formed Zambian organization based at Macha called LinkNet, under the direction of Gertjan van Stam, is in the process of taking over the operation of the VSAT systems and the local area network. In essence, LinkNet will become the local Internet Service Provider (ISP) for the Macha area. This will free MIAM from the responsibility of being the de facto local "internet service provider", and instead MIAM will buy the services it needs from LinkNet. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) document has been under negotiation for the past few months between MIAM and Linknet, and discussion as to exactly how this will work, and what the financial implications will be, are at a final stage.
IV - Vehicles/Transport
Two of the three vehicles used for field work had breakdowns at the same time this month, one being a fuel problem, the other a transmission problem. This resulted in both vehicles being off the road for several days at the same time, until repairs could be carried out. This did impact the on-going field studies for several days, causing postponement of planned work. Funds from Hopkins for MIAM core operations for 2007 had still not been released by the end of April, leading to cash flow problems, resulting in delays in the purchase of necessary vehicle spares, including tires, for some of the vehicles.
The newer FUSO truck made many trips to Choma this month to haul the lumber for the large number of roof trusses under construction for the dormitory and dining hall.
V - Research Activities
The rains tapered off in early April, and nights began to get cooler, causing fewer mosquitoes to be trapped or caught by spray catches - and also meaning that the peak malaria transmission was coming to an end for this year. Despite this, the various field projects continued to carry out their studies, including the new Epidemiology Pilot project in the area to the east of Macha. Residents of some village areas were still found to have parasite prevalences of close to 20 or 30%, but most were less than this.
The insectary had success raising a colony of Anopheline mosquitoes, with production of an F2 generation of approximately 28 adult mosquitoes after two successful mating cycles. Unfortunately, with low numbers of mosquitoes, it is not clear that we will be able to keep the colony viable through the non-rainy season, since we will not be able to replenish stock with male mosquitoes caught in the wild or from larvae found in local breeding sites and hatched in the insectary. Our entomologist Musapo Mulenga, continues to show enthusiasm and endurance in his efforts, but is now hoping to be able to procure an automatic dimming system to simulate day and night - rather than having to adjust the lighting manually!
Molecular biology lab work continued, with some interesting preliminary findings coming from Dr. Mharakurwa's Fitness Study work. His results from PCR on mosquitoes that are carrying malaria, augments current understandings on drug-resistant strains of malaria. It is planned to submit several abstracts on this work to the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting to be held in Philadelphia in November of this year.
The new clinical research laboratory, under the direction of volunteer Dr. Sue Penno, began operation in April once the Bio-Safety Cabinet donated by CDC was installed and inspected. Two Dutch medical students currently on an elective at MIAM are helping to initiate the culturing of tuberculosis, in anticipation of the start a multi-centre drug study for TB that will be sponsored by the European Union and led locally by Dr Janneke van Dijk as PI.
Although it had been hoped to carry out two clinical malaria research projects this year at Macha, neither of the projects were started due to the low number of eligible malaria patients being admitted to the hospital for such studies.
VI - Personnel
MIAM hired an Information Technology (IT) support technician in April, Mr Raphael Mweetwa, as a full time employee, and he has been busy upgrading the many MIAM computers. His inventory shows 16 active computers in the MIAM offices and labs.
While Dr Shiff was in the country, interviews were held for a new lab scientist to replace the one that resigned in February. The person chosen, Mr Mtawa Mkulama, was offered and accepted a position as a lab scientist at MIAM.
Many temporary field workers and other helpers hired from local villages assisted with the various research studies being carried out in April, and MIAM continues to appreciate the community support in all of its research activities.
VII - Other
Dr. Dick Johnson, a retired neurology professor from Hopkins, together with his wife, paid a brief visit to MIAM in early April.
A scheduled meeting with Drs Shiff, Thuma and Mharakurwa with the Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Zambian Ministry of Health to discuss the future role of MIAM in Zambia, was postponed at the last minute by the PS due to other pressing matters, so did not take place during Dr Shiff's visit to Zambia. A subsequent meeting with the acting Coordinator at the Zambian National Malaria Control Centre was productive and helpful in giving input as we develop MIAM's long term plans.
While in Zambia, Dr. Kumar from Hopkins had a meeting with Drs Chipeta and Shinondo from the University of Zambia to lay the frame-work for a possible application for a training grant to benefit Zambians.