GEFEK
Encyclopedia
GEFEK, the Association for the Promotion of Independent Disease Control in Developing Countries ("Gesellschaft zur Förderung Eigenständiger Krankheitsbekämpfung in Entwicklungsländern") was created by scientists of the University of Giessen
, Germany
, in 2004 and is officially registered as a non-profit organisation. The association aims at promoting the exchange of medical knowledge and biomedical technology between industry nations and countries with a low health standard, such as Mongolia
, Panama
, Bolivia
and Yemen
.
Infectious diseases are worldwide a major cause of death, especially in developing countries. Next to inexpensive drugs, there is an urgent need for affordable diagnostic methods. Recent progress in biomedical research led to new techniques highly appropriate for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. These new methods are advantageous not only because they lead to results in short time, but also because they are affordable and applicable under conditions of poverty. Major objective of GEFEK is the transfer of this knowledge to scientists in low-income countries and to establish the new technology in a way that it can be performed without help from abroad. The transfer includes information on the theoretical background, the performance of molecular diagnostic methods and the knowledge for the production of the necessary test substances. The self-contained operation of this technology by the affected population is the best guarantee for their sustainable application.
In contrast to other organisations, which provide help directly in crisis regions, the contribution of GEFEK consists in the transfer of basic medical knowledge and technology, in order to help the people in poor countries according to the principle "help to self-help". A lot of health problems are not due in the first instance to a lack of medicines, but rather to the lack of appropriate methods for the diagnosis of the affecting diseases. Frequently, there are no adequate diagnostic methods available which could be used, or the available methods are inaffordable, this means, considerably more expensive than the needed drugs. GEFEK not only teaches physicians and technical personal but also the new scientific generation, i.e. students in medicine and other health-related disciplines.
. The objective of the common efforts is a countrywide evaluation of the distribution of most important infectious diseases, to enable specific control measures against these major causes of mobidity in the population. Within this cooperation and thanks to private donations, a laboratory in Ulaanbaatar was completely equipped with apparatuses needed for adequate performance of molecular diagnosis. Members of GEFEK were there repeatedly (2004 and 2005) to install the technology and to train Mongolian scientists. In this laboratory it is meanwhile possible to diagnose all important sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis
, brucellosis
, several respiratory pathogens and several diarrhoeal diseases. All these methods are specially designed to be used under limited technical and economical conditions. In the long term it is planned to enable Mongolian scientists to produce all substances needed for the continuation of the diagnosis themselves, such as recombinant diagnostic antigens, or Taq polymerase
. In the future, this may make the country independent from help from abroad.
suffers from a multiplicity of infectious diseases, such as Chagas disease
. Because of its inapparent symptoms, the disease remains unrecognised most of the time and, untreated, leads after about 20 years to death, mainly due to heart pathologies. It is probably one of the major reasons for the extreme low average age of the population of 34 years only. Further prevalent existing diseases are malaria
and, especially among young children, life threatening diarrhoeal diseases, caused by entamoeba
, bacteria
or rotavirus
. Tuberculosis
, dengue fever
and different forms of hepatitis
are also wide spread. The diagnostic methods developed by GEFEK can be very useful for the fight against Chagas disease. A cooperation has been arranged with the national Chagas disease control initiative at the Universidad Mayor de San Simón, in Cochabamba
.
. About 20 students and 3 professors participated in the course. Although Panama belongs to the richest countries in Central America
, the general medical care – except of Panama City
- is not well developed. Many infectious diseases are common, which are neither correctly diagnosed nor treated.
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in 2004 and is officially registered as a non-profit organisation. The association aims at promoting the exchange of medical knowledge and biomedical technology between industry nations and countries with a low health standard, such as Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
.
Infectious diseases are worldwide a major cause of death, especially in developing countries. Next to inexpensive drugs, there is an urgent need for affordable diagnostic methods. Recent progress in biomedical research led to new techniques highly appropriate for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. These new methods are advantageous not only because they lead to results in short time, but also because they are affordable and applicable under conditions of poverty. Major objective of GEFEK is the transfer of this knowledge to scientists in low-income countries and to establish the new technology in a way that it can be performed without help from abroad. The transfer includes information on the theoretical background, the performance of molecular diagnostic methods and the knowledge for the production of the necessary test substances. The self-contained operation of this technology by the affected population is the best guarantee for their sustainable application.
In contrast to other organisations, which provide help directly in crisis regions, the contribution of GEFEK consists in the transfer of basic medical knowledge and technology, in order to help the people in poor countries according to the principle "help to self-help". A lot of health problems are not due in the first instance to a lack of medicines, but rather to the lack of appropriate methods for the diagnosis of the affecting diseases. Frequently, there are no adequate diagnostic methods available which could be used, or the available methods are inaffordable, this means, considerably more expensive than the needed drugs. GEFEK not only teaches physicians and technical personal but also the new scientific generation, i.e. students in medicine and other health-related disciplines.
Mongolia
Members of GEFEK are cooperating with doctors from the Health Science University of Mongolia in the capital UlaanbaatarUlaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
. The objective of the common efforts is a countrywide evaluation of the distribution of most important infectious diseases, to enable specific control measures against these major causes of mobidity in the population. Within this cooperation and thanks to private donations, a laboratory in Ulaanbaatar was completely equipped with apparatuses needed for adequate performance of molecular diagnosis. Members of GEFEK were there repeatedly (2004 and 2005) to install the technology and to train Mongolian scientists. In this laboratory it is meanwhile possible to diagnose all important sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, brucellosis
Brucellosis
Brucellosis, also called Bang's disease, Crimean fever, Gibraltar fever, Malta fever, Maltese fever, Mediterranean fever, rock fever, or undulant fever, is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unsterilized milk or meat from infected animals or close contact with their secretions...
, several respiratory pathogens and several diarrhoeal diseases. All these methods are specially designed to be used under limited technical and economical conditions. In the long term it is planned to enable Mongolian scientists to produce all substances needed for the continuation of the diagnosis themselves, such as recombinant diagnostic antigens, or Taq polymerase
Taq polymerase
thumb|228px|right|Structure of Taq DNA polymerase bound to a DNA octamerTaq polymerase is a thermostable DNA polymerase named after the thermophilic bacterium Thermus aquaticus from which it was originally isolated by Thomas D. Brock in 1965...
. In the future, this may make the country independent from help from abroad.
Bolivia
The population of BoliviaBolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
suffers from a multiplicity of infectious diseases, such as Chagas disease
Chagas disease
Chagas disease is a tropical parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. T. cruzi is commonly transmitted to humans and other mammals by an insect vector, the blood-sucking insects of the subfamily Triatominae most commonly species belonging to the Triatoma, Rhodnius,...
. Because of its inapparent symptoms, the disease remains unrecognised most of the time and, untreated, leads after about 20 years to death, mainly due to heart pathologies. It is probably one of the major reasons for the extreme low average age of the population of 34 years only. Further prevalent existing diseases are malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and, especially among young children, life threatening diarrhoeal diseases, caused by entamoeba
Entamoeba
Entamoeba is a genus of Amoebozoa found as internal parasites or commensals of animals.In 1875, Fedor Lösch described the first proven case of amoebic dysentery in St Petersburg, Russia. He referred to the amoeba he observed microscopically as 'Amoeba coli'; however it is not clear whether he was...
, bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
or rotavirus
Rotavirus
Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea among infants and young children, and is one of several viruses that cause infections often called stomach flu, despite having no relation to influenza. It is a genus of double-stranded RNA virus in the family Reoviridae. By the age of five,...
. Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, dengue fever
Dengue fever
Dengue fever , also known as breakbone fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles...
and different forms of hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
are also wide spread. The diagnostic methods developed by GEFEK can be very useful for the fight against Chagas disease. A cooperation has been arranged with the national Chagas disease control initiative at the Universidad Mayor de San Simón, in Cochabamba
Cochabamba
Cochabamba is a city in central Bolivia, located in a valley bearing the same name in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and is the fourth largest city in Bolivia with an urban population of 608,276 and a metropolitan population of more than 1,000,000 people...
.
Panama
In July 2006, a one-week practical course was organised at the Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí in David, PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. About 20 students and 3 professors participated in the course. Although Panama belongs to the richest countries in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, the general medical care – except of Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
- is not well developed. Many infectious diseases are common, which are neither correctly diagnosed nor treated.