How does the Encephalitis Society support research?

Throughout Encephalitis Research Month, we will be talking about all things encephalitis research: why is research important, what the Encephalitis Society does to help research, as well as highlighting some of the key research figures and projects.

We drive research in low and middle-income countries

In 2019 we started to provide seed funding for smaller or pilot projects which not only provide acknowledgement and better understanding of the illness in different settings, but also secure future funding for potential large-scale projects or be a first step on the long journey to becoming a well-established researcher. Since the start of seed funding grants stream, we have allocated funding in five low and middle income countries: Cameroon, Brazil, Senegal, Uganda and India.

Some examples are: 

Encephalitis’ clinical and laboratory characteristics during a triple epidemic of Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya (completed)

Project Lead – Dr Aline de Moura Brasil Matos, Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Medicine School, University of São Paulo, Brazil

Dr Aline Matos said:

We discovered that Chikungunya virus stands out as a major etiological agent for encephalitis cases with a high death rate. We established a prospective cohort of viral encephalitis in our center. We improved data collection, we now use specific scales for encephalitis follow-up and have a basic cognitive evaluation protocol.

Implementing an hospital-based encephalitis surveillance in Senegal to decipher main causes of viral encephalitis in a West-African Low-Income Country (completed)

Dr Jamil Kahwagi, Clinique de Neurosciences Ibrahima Pierre Ndiaye, CHNU FANN, Dakar, Senegal

Dr Jean-Michel HERAUD, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal

Dr Jamil Kahwagi said:

The project was the first to allow quick detection of virus in encephalitic patients that could inform clinician on potential
monitoring and treatment when an herpes virus was detected.

Aetiologies, clinical presentation and neuro-cognitive outcomes of non-HIV associated encephalitis in Cameroon - exploring a neglected disease in a low income African country (extended)

Project lead - Dr Alain Kenfak Foguena, Jura Bernois Hospital (HJB), Moutier, Switzerland and Filariasis and other Tropical Diseases Research Centre (CRFilMT), Yaoundé, Cameroon

Dr Alain Kenfak said:

After an initial regular inclusion rate, COVID-19 pandemics had a huge impact on activities: decreased availability of healthcare workers for non-COVID activities, fear of patients to attend hospitals. The budget remaining from the Cameroon Encephalitis Study (seed funding 2019) will allow us to start a new project and include up to 50 patients who survived encephalitis to look at the physical, neurological and neurocognitive long term outcomes (12-36 months).

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June is Encephalitis Research Month.

And to celebrate, The Big Give is offering to DOUBLE every donation we receive this month - so for every £1 that is donated, we will receive another £1 on top.

Any money raised will go towards our Encephalitis Research Month appeal and projects which support researchers around the world.

If you would like to double your donation to the Encephalitis Society, visit the Big Give website.

Double your Donation