Disease Control: Innovation and Research
(asked on 19th June 2023) - View Source
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK funding for research on treating and preventing (a) dengue, (b) chikungunya and (c) other arboviral diseases in the last five years; and what future plans he has to support dengue research and innovation.
Answered by
Andrew Mitchell
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
UK investments in Product Development Partnerships for research on novel health technologies have led to advancements in tackling many neglected diseases of poverty, including dengue, chikungunya and other arboviral diseases. The FCDO supports the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) which has established a research partnership with dengue-endemic countries to find a safe, affordable, and effective treatment for this disease. FCDO also invests in the Liverpool based Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC), which is developing innovative ways to reduce transmission by mosquitos, including those that transmit arboviruses. Research is still at an early stage and continuous investment in Research and Development (R&D) will be essential to ensure progress in combatting these diseases.