National Day: CRESAR show-case its prowess

The Military Research Centre CRESAR is one among the many achievements registered by the Cameroon Arm Force.

Since its creation in June 2002, CRESAR has recorded some innovations including research findings focused on safeguarding the populations’ health.

The Centre which is out to monitor emerging and re-emerging infections has for three times conducted the HIV Prevention and Sero-prevalence surveys on the Military and Civilian population.

CRESAR also offers opportunities for research on human and animal diseases such as influenza, malaria, chicken pox etc; with close to ten departments including eight laboratories (Human and Animal Extraction Rooms, Processing Rooms, solution preparation lab, Master mix room, PCR and PCR lab); Amplification room and a Storage room.

These departments carry out specific functions such as: the extraction of human and animal samples, its treatment, preservation and prescription by experienced Laboratory scientists (military and civilian mostly holders of PhD); under the general supervision of Lieutenant Colonel Julius NWOBEGAHAY - head of the Centre.

The storage room contains over 20, 0000 human and animal samples stored in high capacity refrigerators.

Other research findings from the Centre include: the identification of chimpanzees as reservoirs of the Malaria parasite; the detection of two new viruses known scientifically as: PREDICT_coV_30 and PREDICT_coV_32, even though with no evidence of threat to public health; the prevention of Hepatitis B virus infection among donors; the surveillance of antibiotic resistance in Military hospitals.

In the future, CRESAR hopes to register more achievements among which are: to set up an emergency plan to counter any threats of bioterrorism such as Anthrax and small pox; set up plan for early Infant diagnosis of HIV; map out strategies to easily identify crime suspects, and facilitate the identification of mutilated or deteriorated corpses, in combat situation and air-crash accident; to organize surveys on knowledge, attitudes, practices and behaviours linked to health problem in the Military.

The Centre which offers internship for PhD students at home and abroad has been emerging thanks to partnership with Johns Hopkins University-USA, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention-CDC, The French Institute for Research in Development - IRAD.

So far, CRESAR has been placed under Biological Safety Level 2 research according to WHO classification thanks to the technical support of its principal partner Johns Hopkins.