Uganda Virus Research Institute
| UVRI | |
| Medical Research Institute overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 1, 1936 |
| Type | Medical Research Institute |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Uganda |
| Headquarters | 51-59 Nakiwogo Road Entebbe, Uganda |
| Medical Research Institute executive |
|
| Website | Homepage |
The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), is a medical research institute owned by the Uganda government that carries out research on communicable diseases in man and animals, with emphasis on viral transmitted infections. UVRI is a component of Uganda National Health Research Organization (UNHRO), an umbrella organization for health research within Uganda.
UVRI is located at 51-59 Nakiwogo Road, in Entebbe, Uganda, approximately 36 kilometres (22 mi), south of Kampala, the capital and largest city in Uganda. The coordinates of the institute are: 0°04'33.0"N, 32°27'26.0"E (Latitude:0.075833; Longitude:32.457222).
The organisation was established in 1936 as the Yellow Fever Research Institute by the Rockefeller Foundation. In 1947, scientists researching yellow fever placed a rhesus macaque in a cage in the Zika Forest. The monkey developed a fever, and researchers isolated from its serum a transmissible agent that was first described as Zika virus in 1952. Other noteworthy arboviruses discovered at the institute include Chikungunya virus, West Nile virus, Bwamba virus, Semliki Forest virus, O'nyong'nyong virus, and Kadam virus.
In 1950, after gaining regional recognition, the Institute was renamed the East African Virus Research Institute, under which identity many of its noteworthy accomplishments were published. In 1977, it was reorganized under its current name.
After the collapse of the East African Community in 1977, it became a Ugandan government public health research institution and was renamed the Uganda Virus Research Institute. The government of Uganda administers and funds the UVRI through the Uganda National Health Research Organization, which is an umbrella research body within the Uganda Ministry of Health.
...
Wikipedia