Six-million-dollar investment to tackle the causes of foodborne disease in Ethiopia

Principal food safety investigators conducted a press conference to launch four food safety programs in Ethiopia, 14–15 Feb 2019, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Left to right): Frank Arestrup, of the Technical University of Denmark; Kristina Rösel, of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI); Ashagri Zewdu, of Addis Ababa University; and Barbara Kowalcyk, of Ohio State University (photo credit: ILRI/Apollo Habtamu).

The UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) are supporting four new research projects to address a broad set of robust and large-scale research priorities to guide program and policy efforts to improve food safety in Ethiopia. This will be achieved through a consortium of national and international research partners working together to support the country’s ongoing efforts.

This investment comes at a critical time, as the World Health Organization (WHO) reports the global burden of food safety to be of similar magnitude as malaria or HIV/AIDS.

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