PGH

Prevent Childhood Deaths in Kenya

2017-02-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

Roughly 75% of retail poultry samples in Kenya are contaminated with a bacteria called Campylobacter. Eating this meat can cause severe diarrhea, and almost 10% of the infected children in Kenya die from this bacteria — the highest Campylobacter fatality rate in the world.

Since refrigeration and proper cooking environments are frequently unavailable in Kenya, spray applied phages can provide a good alternative for decontaminating poultry meat.

Professor Erastus Kang'ethe from the University of Nairobi is focusing on educating people about the potential benefits of phages. Dr. Kang'ethe spends much of his time in rural parts of Kenya, teaching local groups about safer food handling practices that can decrease infection outbreaks.

As one of the organizers of our 2-week phage training program in June 2017, Dr. Kang'ethe will lead discussions on how local scientists can facilitate public dialogue about phages. With greater understanding, local communities are more likely to apply phage products — thus preventing many cases of diarrhea.

Please support this Phages for Global Health training program! Consider making a tax deductible donation, and please share this email with others.

Thank you!
Karen Erickson, Treasurer
James B. Lin, Secretary
Tobi Nagel, PhD, Founder & President

Revolutionizing Infection Management in Africa

2017-01-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

We have the pleasure of partnering with Dr. George Nasinyama of Uganda in organizing our phage laboratory training program in East Africa. He is both Deputy Vice Chancellor at Kampala International University and Professor at Makerere University. Dr. Nasinyama emphasizes the importance of this training for his region:

"Phage technology can revolutionize the way we manage infections since it obviates the use of chemicals, provides a cheaper solution to antibiotic resistance, and can be used in the production of safer food."

During our 2-week, hands-on laboratory training program, we will teach 20 African scientists the practical steps of developing phage products against antibiotic resistant bacteria. Dr. Nasinyama will work with faculty members from several leading East African universities to select qualified participants for the training.

We invite you to join us! Please tell others about this work and consider a tax deductible donation. More information is available here.

We are now the 5th highest fundraiser out of 320 organizations Help us into 1 of the top 3 slots by December 31 so that we may receive more bonus funds!

Thank you!

Phages for Global Health Board:
Karen Erickson, Treasurer
James B. Lin, Secretary
Tobi Nagel, PhD, Founder & President

Phages Against Cholera in Kenya

2016-12-23T22:34:00.000-08:00

Alice Nyambura has the distinction of being the first scientist in Kenya to isolate naturally occurring phages as antibacterial agents. Her work focuses on Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria that causes cholera. Since financial resources are limited in Kenya, Alice has funded much of the research herself, and her passion for this work is palpable:

"It is so heartbreaking to see many Kenyans die of cholera because the environmental sources of water they use for household purposes become contaminated with Vibrio cholerae bacteria when it rains. I desire to see these communities have access to clean, potable and safe water through application of phages in these water sources."
For her Master's thesis, Alice gathered cholera contaminated water samples throughout Kenya, as shown in these photos. She then generated custom phage mixtures against Kenyan cholera strains — including antibiotic resistant bacteria — and demonstrated that the phages can kill the cholera bacteria. Alice wants to further develop those phages as decontamination agents — but she needs more training to do so.

We are grateful that Alice is helping organize our Phages for Global Health training program in Nairobi in June 2017. Through this 2-week, hands-on laboratory training program, we will teach 20 African scientists the practical steps of developing phage products. More details are available here.

Please consider supporting this training program, both by making a financial contribution and by forwarding this email to others who might enjoy hearing about our work.

Thank you!
Karen Erickson, Treasurer
James B. Lin, Secretary
Tobi Nagel, PhD, Founder & President

Meet Phage Team Uganda

2016-12-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

Dr. Jesca Nakavuma of Makerere University in Uganda first heard about the use of phages as antibiotic alternatives for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria this past May. She promptly emailed:

“I am greatly amazed at the potential of phages. It came to my mind that, as a microbiologist, I should venture into this area, looking at a possibility of having it as a feed additive to prevent bacterial diseases in chickens to reduce ... [the use of] antimicrobial drugs.”
Shortly after that, she assembled Phage Team Uganda — a small group of student researchers focused on initiating phage research in their country. They now gather regularly to read about phage biology and determine what laboratory resources they will need. This team is enthusiastically awaiting our phage training program in East Africa, which Dr. Jesca is helping organize.

Our goal is to empower these scientists to develop antibacterial phage products in their region through a 2-week, hands-on laboratory phage training program. More information about phages and the training program is available on our GlobalGiving webpage.

We invite you to join in this work by making a financial contribution. Since Phages for Global Health is a registered nonprofit organization, your donations are tax deductible in the US. Matching funds are available for donations made TODAY, November 29 — so please consider making your end-of-year contributions now.

And help us maximize the power of online fundraising by forwarding this to others!

Tobi Nagel, PhD, Founder & President

New Hope for Antibiotic Resistance in East Africa

2016-11-27T22:31:00.000-08:00

“The phenomenon of antibiotic-resistance in pathogenic microorganisms represents a worldwide hot-spot in healthcare, since new antibiotic-resistant strains are emerging at a constant rate and traditional treatments, based on antibiotic therapy, are now failing…. The search for formulations based in phage products offers a new hope for medicine in the struggle against illness.”
— From “What can bacteriophages do for us?” by P. Veiga-Crespo et al.

We all need hope, right? Maybe now more than ever. As Board members of Phages for Global Health (PGH), we are proud to invite you to create hope in the developing world by partnering with us to develop antibacterial phage products.

Our friend and colleague, Dr. Tobi Nagel, spent time teaching in the country of Georgia, where she learned about the effective, affordable and safe use of phages to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. She was inspired to found Phages for Global Health as a vehicle for scientists worldwide to collaborate in making phage products available where they are most needed — in countries like Kenya, Egypt, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

One of our current projects is a training program to teach 20 East African scientists how to develop phages for applications in their region. You can learn more details through this GlobalGiving link. We are excited to begin this work — yet we need your support. PGH is a registered US nonprofit organization, and we rely on donor-partners and grants to accomplish our mission. So please consider joining us through a financial gift.

Fundraising for this project will launch on "Giving Tuesday," November 29 — and matching funds will be available on that day. Please consider forwarding this email to several other people — that is the true power of online crowdfunding!

With Thanksgiving for all of you,

Karen Erickson, Treasurer
James B. Lin, Secretary
Tobi Nagel, PhD, Founder & President