Health academy will address global illnesses

EDINBURGH University has launched a health academy which will address global health challenges including obesity, pandemic flu, tuberculosis, diabetes and tropical diseases such as malaria and sleeping sickness.

One key initiative which will benefit from the academy is the Stamp Out Sleeping Sickness campaign, led by scientists from the university's Centre for Infectious Diseases.

The campaign involves treating cattle for sleeping sickness, before the disease is passed to humans.

Researchers have discovered that most cases of the acute form of sleeping sickness occur when the parasite which carries the disease is transferred from cattle to people by blood-sucking tsetse flies.

The Global Health Academy will bring academics from areas as diverse as medicine and the biomedical sciences, public health, social sciences and engineering together to share resources and knowledge.

Its director, Professor Sue Welburn, said:

"This is a unique opportunity to deliver research-driven education programmes."