The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a Record of Discussions (R/D) with the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation on March 13 in Brasilia regarding the technical cooperation project “Strengthening the Genome Monitoring Network for New Coronavirus Infections. Discussions (R/D) on the technical cooperation project “Project for Strengthening the Genome Monitoring Network for New Coronavirus Infections” was signed in Brazil.
Brazil was severely affected by the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), both in terms of the cumulative number of people infected and the cumulative number of deaths. Other infectious diseases such as Zika fever, influenza, dengue fever, and chikungunya fever have frequently caused epidemics, and outbreaks of infectious diseases with high fatality rates such as yellow fever and rabies are constantly reported, making the response to viral infections one of the greatest public health challenges. Given the fact that COVID-19 has evolved and mutant strains have emerged one after another, and that other viruses may cause global epidemics in the future, genome analysis(*) that can quickly identify viral mutations is essential for faster and more effective public health policy and drug development. This is essential for faster and more effective public health policy and drug development.
From FY1980 to FY1984, JICA has provided technical cooperation in measles and polio vaccine production and quality control to the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (“Fiocruz”), a Brazilian national institution responsible for education and research in the medical field, and the development and manufacture of drugs including vaccines. In addition, from FY2021 to FY2022, we have been implementing a technical cooperation project aimed at improving the capacity for testing, diagnosis, treatment, vaccine adaptation and development, and pathophysiology of novel coronavirus infection.
Fiocruz established the COVID-19 Genome Monitoring Network in March 2020, which conducts genome analysis at eight Fiocruz units (laboratories) nationwide and provides information to the Ministry of Health and state health authorities. After the expansion of COVID-19, the center has also become a center for genome analysis in the Latin America and Caribbean region, including contracted genome analysis of new coronaviruses in neighboring countries. Therefore, strengthening the Fiocruz genome monitoring network is expected to improve the detection capability of infectious diseases that may cause a global epidemic, not only in Brazil, and to make a significant contribution to the fight against infectious diseases in Japan and abroad.
This project will contribute to strengthening the capacity of research institutions involved in monitoring viral infections in Brazil and will contribute to SDG Goal 3 (health and well-being for all).
The details of the project are as follows
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