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Mak wins sub-Saharan Africa Ebola Grand Challenge Design Award
The ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) and School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences (CHS), Makerere University are set to design the next generation ergonomic tent to support humanitarian service delivery.
RAN’s (www.ranlab.org) proposed solution is a redesigned Ebola treatment tent that aims to substantially change the working environment for health care workers through its ergonomic design which allows for a significant increase in airflow and decrease in ambient temperatures in hot climatic conditions.
Prof. William Bazeyo and Dr. Roy William Mayega from School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences (CHS), will lead a team of students and faculty teamed up with those from the College of Engineering, Design Art and Technology (CEDAT) to design the next generation tent to support humanitarian service delivery. The redesigned tent keeps the favorable features of current designs (simplicity, cheapness and structural safety) while re-imagining and re-engineering the mechanisms for heat and air exchange within, through integration of a convectional currents mechanism and porous walls. The change in ambient environment will have three major advantages over the current ones namely; improved patient management by reducing the heat stress faced by healthcare workers wearing heavy PPE materials, improved comfort for the patients and amenability to ‘plug-in’ accessories to support human-led service delivery, or “portable hospitals.”
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched Fighting Ebola: A Grand Challenge for Development in partnership with the White House Office of Science and Technology, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Defense to help health care workers provide better care and contain this devastating virus.In just two months, innovators from around the world submitted over 1,500 ideas focused on helping frontline health care workers to provide better, more timely care and to contain this devastating virus. Through a collaborative and rigorous expert review, the Fighting Ebola Grand Challenge Team has identified a dozen additional innovations that address existing gaps in the current Ebola response. In all a total of 15 innovations have been nominated for award to date.
These innovations can be employed rapidly to address the current Ebola response and better prepare for future outbreaks. The award nominees can be classified in several categories: 1) cutting edge tools for advanced patient care; 2) reimagining the health care setting to enhance care, increase access, and improve worker safety; 3) improving the safety of health care workers: suits and protective layers; 4) improving the safety of health care workers: decontaminates; 5) changing behaviour to eliminate Ebola; and 6) information communication technology solutions.
The primary objective is to get improved solutions into the field as quickly as possible. To ensure that this happens, the Fighting Ebola Grand Challenge Team is working to put in place clear and rigorous pathways to rapidly test and deploy the best ideas.
Frontline healthcare workers involved in management of suspected and confirmed Ebola cases in humid sub-tropical, tropical, and equatorial climates work under very stressful conditions characterized by extreme heat and humidity predisposing them to heat stress and its associated complications. These extreme environmental conditions also affect quality of care for patients. Health care workers cannot spend more than a couple of hours dressed in the full-body Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) because of the extreme heat and discomfort. This lessens patient care contact time yet much of the treatment for Ebola should be supportive. The frequent but short work-rest schedules put them at risk of infection. This is because they are more likely to make procedural errors as they move back and forth into contaminated and non-contaminated zones. Patients too have to endure the same conditions. The extremely hot environment in their isolation wards exacerbates their risk of electrolyte imbalances due to excessive perspiration, yet Ebola patients are already at a higher risk of physiological and bio-chemical imbalances. Countries affected by Ebola are located in sub-Saharan Africa along the Equator, with very hot and humid climates.
Please follow the links below for additional information;
http://www.ebolagrandchallenge.net/reimagined-ebola-treatment-units
“Solutions through Innovation”
Article by Harriet Adong, ResilientAfrica Network
Prof. Edward Bbaale, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at Makerere University, on November 10 2026 welcomed a delegation from the International Water Association (IWA), led by Mr. Keith Robertson, the Learning and Events Director at International Water Association (IWA). Mr. Robertson, in his remarks, highlighted their visit to Makerere University as a fact-finding mission regarding the potential establishment of a new regional IWA office in Africa to support the continent in solving challenges relating to water.
The International Water Association is a leading global nonprofit organisation and knowledge hub for the water and sanitation sector. Connecting more than 10,000 individual members and 500 corporate entities across 140 plus countries, the association bridges the gap between scientific research and practical engineering to solve global water crises, improve sanitation, and secure clean water systems. Currently, IWA is evaluating potential host cities in Africa; Makerere University in Kampala is the first they have visited out of their three countries and venues earmarked.
This meeting held at Makerere Main Administrative Building, was attended by university leadership, faculty from College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), and representatives from the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC). Discussions explored possibilities of the yet to be established office bridging the gap between academic research and practical application in the water sector not only in Uganda but also on the continent.
On behalf of University Management, Prof. Edward Bbaale underscored this engagement that focused on possible Water and Sanitation advancement partnership as one that aligns well with the strategic direction of the University.
Projected Impact of a Kampala-Based IWA Office
Dr Philip Nyenje, Head of Department, Civil and Environmental Engineering (DCEE), expressed optimism about the collaboration, saying, “this is a very good opportunity for us to grow our interest in the sector of water and sanitation.”
In addition, Dr Seith Mugume, a Senior Lecturer at DCEE, noted that the regional office would unlock research and innovation opportunities in the real world for our students and also provide incentives for them to pursue projects within local research and innovation angles.
Eng. Zainab Mpakiraba, Acting Senior Manager at NWSC framed Kampala as a very unique venue for the centre and highlighted Makerere as one of the core academic partners for the regional Eastern and Southern Africa hub of the Global Sanitation Graduate School. Eng. Mpakiraba further endorsed Makerere, saying that, as a top-notch university in Uganda and in the region, when it leads on any aspect, it is able to pull most of the other universities.
Makerere’s Strategic Initiatives and Activities so far in the Area of Water
Dr Nyenje noted that his Department has a very strong base in water and sanitation, covering disciplines like water resources, environmental, structural, and highway engineering. Dr. Mugume added that they are conducting research on “modeling of water resource systems, hydrological and hydraulic modeling,” “water quality management,” and “fecal sludge management, sanitation in low-income and peri-urban areas.”
The two also mentioned that the department has introduced a “master’s in sanitation, and also a postgraduate program… a diploma in sanitation” to address growing interest in the sector.
All these strategies have been made possible through good will and funding from the Government of Uganda, strategic partnerships, and International Collaborations that have positioned Makerere as a key player in the region.
Concluding the session, Prof. Edward Bbaale reaffirmed Makerere’s ability to run this Office when established as the University has human resources in multidisciplinary research, global credibility and working relationships with many organisations and institutions on the continent and far.
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