The Vaccine Impact on Diarrhea in Africa (VIDA) investigators’ and International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) meetings and visits to VIDA field site successfully completed on 27 January 2016. Hosted by MRC Unit The Gambia, the goals of the 5 days meeting and field visit were to assess the overall progress and to ensure the quality of the study at three African sites; The Gambia, Mali and Kenya. The VIDA project started in May 2015, at the MRC Unit The Gambia in collaboration with Centre for Vaccine Development (CVD), University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). The meeting was attended by over 37 international participants mainly funders, collaborators, scientists and investigators: from CVD- UMB, CVD-Mali, CDC-Kenya, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and University of Washington, ISAC members from University of Virginia, CDC of USA, University of Washington and University of Ghana, Consultants from CDC, Barcelona Institute for Global Health and University of Virginia, the data management team from EMMES Corporation, USA funders and advisors from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Programe for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), and VIDA investigators from The Gambia.

The VIDA investigators’s met from 23 to 24 January 2016 to share with the wider scientific communities the research achievements and successes with the Rotavirus (RV) vaccine, and update of VIDA study. The forum was used as a platform to facilitate the understanding of the public health burden of RV and the effectiveness of RV vaccine to prevent childhood diarrhoea and associated deaths.

On 25 January 2016, the International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) of VIDA meet to discuss details of the VIDA project. The discussions of the ISAC meeting were centered on providing recommendations and guidelines for the successful completion of the study which is expected to run for the next 4 years.

During the visit, the participants had the opportunity to visit the VIDA field site in Basse and Bansang which presented an excellent opportunity to see the infrastructure, meet study participants, VIDA staff and to have first-hand knowledge on how quality delivery is ensured at MRC Unit The Gambia.

Overall, it was a successful visit, as all collaborators were impressed by our infrastructure and scientific research.

Read more about the VIDA study on our website on
http://www.mrc.gm/continuing-the-fight-against-childhood-diarrhoeal-dis…