New laboratory in Kenya will research, monitor emerging infectious diseases

"A laboratory that will research and monitor emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) such as yellow fever and dengue" was launched in Kenya last month "in an attempt to tackle growing vector-borne health threats in the region," SciDev.Net reports. "The Martin Luscher Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases was launched with support from the German and Swiss governments at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) ... and is expected to add capacity to respond to disease outbreaks," the news service writes. According to Rosemary Sang, a researcher at icipe, the laboratory's first project, funded by the internet host Google, is a $5 million pilot study on Rift Valley Fever (RVF), which she says killed more than 300 people in East Africa between 2006 to 2007, the news service notes (Adhiambo, 10/5).