UVRI SET TO UNVEIL GLOBAL POLIO LABORATORY AS IT MARKS 90 YEARS

The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) has been tasked with leading global efforts to eliminate polio through a new reference laboratory set to open at its Entebbe-based facility.

Prof. Pontiano Kaleebu, UVRI’s Executive Director, revealed this during the launch of activities marking the institute’s 90th anniversary today. He said scientists at the institute have already embarked on studies to better understand vaccine-derived polio, a strain linked to the weakened live virus used in the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).

Kaleebu said the new laboratory, once officially commissioned, will support research and innovation aimed at controlling vaccine-derived poliovirus and ultimately contribute to the global eradication of polio.

Efforts to eradicate polio have been ongoing for decades. In 1988, the World Health Assembly launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a public-private partnership dedicated to wiping out the disease worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), global polio incidence has since declined by 99 percent.

Today, more than 80 percent of the world’s population lives in regions certified free of wild poliovirus. However, wild polio remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, while several countries continue to battle outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus.

Uganda has not recorded an indigenous wild poliovirus case since 1996, but imported and vaccine-derived cases have occasionally emerged. In 2021, UVRI confirmed an outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 in Kampala. Another outbreak was detected in May 2024 at an environmental surveillance site in Mbale.

Kaleebu said the new laboratory will strengthen efforts to not only protect Uganda but also contribute to ending polio globally. He noted that UVRI’s involvement in polio research dates back more than 50 years, including work in virus sequencing and studies addressing vaccine hesitancy, which was a major challenge in the 1960s.

As UVRI marks 90 years of existence, Prof. Bruce Kirenga, Principal of Makerere University College of Health Sciences, challenged the institute to move beyond identifying pathogens through research and begin developing solutions such as vaccines, diagnostic tools, and testing devices.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system and can lead to paralysis within hours. It spreads mainly through person-to-person contact via contaminated faecal matter, and less commonly through contaminated food or water. Although the disease primarily affects children under the age of five, health experts warn that anyone who is unvaccinated remains at risk of infection.

UVRI is the premier government medical research facility in Entebbe, Uganda, dedicated to investigating viral and communicable diseases. Operating under the Ministry of Health, it serves as a critical diagnostic hub and a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Arboviruses Reference and Research

Established in 1936 by the Rockefeller Foundation as the Yellow Fever Research Institute, UVRI holds a rich legacy in tropical medicine. Historically, researchers at the institute isolated over two dozen new viruses, including the Zika, Chikungunya, and West Nile viruses

The milestone is being commemorated under the theme “Celebrating 90 Years of Discoveries and Global Impact,” with the main celebratory events and exhibitions scheduled to take place on July 21 and 22.

The official launch took place at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Kampala. During the event, health officials—including Ministry of Health Director General for Health Services Dr. Charles Olaro and UVRI Executive Director Prof. Pontiano Kaleebu—highlighted the institute’s historic contributions to global public health and scientific research

According to Prof Pontiano key milestone acheivement UVRI has registered over the years include being recognized as East Africa’s top hub for virology, solidifying its decades-long dedication to combating viral threats such as Ebola, Marburg, and COVID-19.

Secondly spearheading the development of a locally designed adenovector backbone, originally created during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is now actively advancing research for the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) vaccine.Thridly serving as a crucial Centralized Clinical Laboratory Network (CLN) for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which accelerates global vaccine development timelines against emerging pathogens.