Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Newsletter No.18September 2022
<Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Newsletter No.17 | Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Newsletter No.19>
Laureates of the Fourth Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Decided
On August 3, 2022, Chief Cabinet Secretary MATSUNO Hirokazu announced the laureates of the Fourth Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize.
Medical Research Category
Dr. Salim S. Abdool Karim and Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim
(Republic of South Africa)
(Joint recipients)
Dr. Salim S. Abdool Karim
Director, Center for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA)
(Photo credit: Matthew Henning)
Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim
Associate Scientific Director of CAPRISA
Both of them are Professors of University of KwaZulu-Natal
(Photo credit: Rajesh Jantilal)
They are awarded for their global contributions to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment through scientifically rigorous research, for their role in training African scientists and for their steadfast scientific leadership in the response to Covid-19 in Africa.
Medical Services Category
Guinea Worm Eradication Program
A global campaign, led by The Carter Center in partnership with stakeholders in Africa, to eradicate the second human disease in history.
(Photo credit: The Carter Center / J. Hahn)
They are awarded for the near eradication of Guinea worm disease, led by The Carter Center and carried out in partnership with ministries of health in Africa, communities, nongovernmental organizations, and key partners like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For details, please see
the website for “Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize.”
The award ceremony of the Fourth Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize hosted by Prime Minister was organized at the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) held in Africa (Tunisia) on August 27 and 28, 2022.
For details of the award ceremony, please see the page of the Fourth Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Award Ceremony.
Press release and Achievements
Medical Research Category
Dr. Salim S. Abdool Karim and Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim (Republic of South Africa)
Dr. Salim S. Abdool Karim
Director, Center for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). CAPRISA Professor of Global Health at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York. Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim
Associate Scientific Director of CAPRISA. Professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York. Pro Vice-Chancellor (African Health), University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Drs. Salim S. Abdool Karim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim of CAPRISA, Columbia University, New York and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Republic of South Africa, deserve to be awarded the Fourth Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize in the Medical Research category for their ground-breaking research and scientific leadership in Africa over more than 3 decades. During this period, the Abdool Karims have worked side-by-side as spouse-scientists tackling devastating diseases while overcoming scientific and political obstacles. In their many achievements they embody the spirit of Hideyo Noguchi. At considerable professional risk, they confronted AIDS denial, provided life-sparing antiviral treatments in defiance of government policy and developed HIV prevention approaches that empower women to protect themselves. They established collaborative HIV research centers, working with international partners on vaccines, immunopathogenesis research, microbicides and antiviral treatments.
They have continued their scientifically rigorous work in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, undertaking rapid surveillance, promoting evidence-based prevention and combatting misinformation on Covid-19 vaccines. In tracking the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the Abdool Karims deciphered the periodicity in Covid-19 surges, providing accurate estimations of likely future surges of the coronavirus and assisting Africa to be better prepared for pandemic pressure on its healthcare systems, economies, and social systems. The Abdool Karims played a key role in the national response against Covid-19 in the Republic of South Africa, with Salim serving as Chair and Quarraisha as a member of the government’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19.
Professors Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim at the CAPRISA headquarters located on the Nelson Mandela Medical School campus.
(Photo Credit: Matthew Henning)
Professors Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim in the CAPRISA main laboratory.
(Photo Credit: Matthew Henning)
Medical Services Category
Guinea Worm Eradication Program
A global campaign, led by The Carter Center in partnership with stakeholders in Africa, to eradicate the second human disease in history.
The Guinea Worm Eradication Program deserves to be awarded the Fourth Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize in the Medical Services category. The Carter Center began leading the global campaign in 1986, and, today, together with partners, works to erase the scourge of this debilitating disease. The parasitic disease is spread by consuming contaminated drinking water and can be tackled with community education, water filtration and, in cases of existing infection, proper treatment. There is no vaccine or drug to treat or prevent Guinea worm disease, only behavior modification and building trust at the community level. But achieving eradication continues to require reaching remote locations, tackling conflict zones, and reinforcing a vast infrastructure of local public health and sanitation workers across the African continent. It was a bold idea in the 1980s to target Guinea worm disease for eradication, but not a simple one. It would require ongoing funding and decades of commitment. By 2021 the burden of Guinea worm disease had fallen from an estimated 3.5 million cases annually to a mere 15 – with more than 80 million human cases averted. Yet, access to safe water in these remaining and at risk communities continues to remain paramount, especially as animal transmission has been identified in targeted areas. The HNAP Committee congratulates The Carter Center and all the stakeholders who have been involved in the Guinea Worm Eradication Program at communal, regional, national, and international levels for its extraordinary achievements and the near eradication of the second human disease. Together we will remain tenaciously vigilant to ensure that this ancient disease is relegated to the history books.
Essentials of the Program
Started in 1980.
[Certified Guinea worm-free] (16):
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d'lvoire, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Togo, Uganda, Yemen
[Current covered countries] (5):
Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, South Sudan
[Stopped transmission and/or pre-certification] (2):
Sudan, DRC
Leading Organization: The Carter Center
Key Partners: Local communities and national governments in Africa, and many local, national, and international partners, including NGOs, WHO, CDC (USA), and UNICEF
Website of Guinea Worm Eradication Program
Displacement by war and nomadic lifestyles in South Sudan make pipe filters – distributed to men, women, and children – an important tool against contracting Guinea worm disease. Kuse Dam, Terekeka County, South Sudan
(Photo Credit: The Carter Center / L. Gubb)
Community health workers, Regina Natube, Morris Abure and Lokore Arkangelo of the Guineaworm Eradication Program talk to villagers in Akoruni village about the cash reward initiative, Republic of South Sudan
(Photo Credit: The Carter Center / C. Marin)
For details of the laureates, please see the following page in
the website of “LAUREATES FOR THE FOURTH HIDEYO NOGUCHI AFRICA PRIZE.”
■ Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize on
“International Development Journal” ■
The Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize was featured in an article in the July 2022 issue “International Development Journal,” a monthly journal (written in Japanese). Another article will be published in the September issue.
Website of International Development Journal (Japanese only)
(Photo provided by International Development Journal) (Left)
■ Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize on “Africa” ■
The Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize was featured in a six-page article in the June 30 2022 issue “Africa,” a quarterly journal (written in Japanese). Another article will be published in the autumn issue.
Website of The Africa Society of Japan (Japanese only)
(Photo provided by The Africa Society of Japan) (Right)
On the occasion of the awarding ceremony held in TICAD8, these articles serve as an introduction to attract a great deal of interest in the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize from researchers, governmental officials, business persons and students.
Invitation for Donations
for the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Fund
As part of the prize money to be awarded for this prize, we are inviting donations widely from those who support the idea of this prize. Your goodwill donations will be used to support the activities of people who are playing active roles in improving medical research and medical services in Africa.
About inquiries for donations, please contact:
Citizen Participation Promotion Division, Domestic Strategy and Partnership Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
E-MAIL : jicata-kifu1@jica.go.jp
- Donations to Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize during 2007 – July 2022
638,849,513 YEN [Individual: 2,046, Corporation or Foundation: 532 (TOTAL: 2,578)]
Donations during April 2021 – July 2022 (as of July 2022)
113,367,567 YEN [Individual: 28, Corporation or Foundation: 163 (TOTAL: 191)]
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