News from our Sub-Saharan Africa theme

New childhood cancer ward opened

After twenty years of effort (ten of which was raising the funds) a new ward has been opened in Mbarara in southwestern Uganda for children with childhood cancer. The children pictured above all have retinoblastoma and are in the treatment programme there.

The ward is called the Keith Waddell Ward in honour of the man who drove so much of this work.

Read more about this project, here: Management of childhood cancer in low income countries. 

Hepatitis B virus scanning project launched

One of the main facets of our work in Sub-Saharan Africa is the study of cancer-causing infections. As part of this theme a new project studying the effects of liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus was launched in Spring 2023.

A fibroscan is being used to assess liver damage in the cohort. The technnicians on the team were trained to use it by our own Professor Robert Newton. The picture above is of the team having completed the training. The machine is one of only four fibroscans in Uganda. This training is building new skills and capacity in the Ugandan health system.