EcoHealth
Our focus
We focus on two of the most cross-cutting global challenges, urbanisation and climate change, and their impact on health.
Our objectives
EcoHealth's efforts are driven by the following key objectives:
To understand and improve health by applying a whole system approach to complex health challenges
To develop interdisciplinary research lines on select cross-cutting themes that are in line with ITM’s mission and strengths
To explore and develop innovative research methodologies to study the interactions between nature, society and health
To disseminate knowledge and promote understanding of EcoHealth by postgraduate training, scientific publications, conference presentations and seminars.
EcoHealth seminars
We currently organise a series of seminars on EcoHealth concepts and whole systems approaches to health, in relation to important global health challenges, such as global warming, urbanisation, emerging diseases, among others.
Speakers from all over the world illustrate how and why systems approaches can be applied to better understand these challenges, analyse their root causes and interactions, and develop solutions.
Research themes
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Bacteria have found various ways to develop resistance (AMR), of which resistance to antibiotics is a problem reaching across many different domains. -
Tireless effort is crucial to eliminate human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, in the world. For more than a century, ITM has been playing its part.
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Arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika are urgent public health threats in tropical and subtropical areas.
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By combining efforts on biological, human and societal aspects of the disease, ITM hopes to control and ultimately eliminate malaria in the long term.
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Neglected (tropical) diseases are high on the agenda. For many years, ITM has been actively involved in research on NTDs, in particular on leishmaniasis, leprosy and sleeping sickness.
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Before vaccines or drugs can be used in the general population, their safety and effectiveness are thoroughly investigated in clinical trials.
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The research of ITM on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS is of inestimable value.
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For more than 10 years, ITM has been actively monitoring exotic mosquitoes in Belgium.
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ITM is closely monitoring the development of the mpox disease, both in Belgium and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
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We help improve sexual and reproductive health in the world by combining scientific research, advanced education, policy support and capacity-strengthening initiatives.
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ITM’s research on tuberculosis (TB) is world-renowned. Its shorter combination treatment for resistant tuberculosis was a worldwide breakthrough. Our researchers study new diagnostics and case detection techniques, with the largest public collection of TB strains in the world at their disposal.
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Since the beginning, ITM has been providing medical services to people returning ill from overseas. As such, ITM accumulated profound knowledge of tropical diseases, as well as STIs and HIV.
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The right to health implies that everybody, everywhere should have access to the needed essential health products, included but not limited to diagnostics, vaccines and medicines.
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Clinical, epidemiological and diagnostics studies, secondary analyses of health data and BioSamples, behavioural studies or any other studies that involve the participation of human individuals, should yield social value and be scientifically justified and ethically sound.
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In a highly interconnected world, ITM continues to innovate and develop its outbreak research capacity.
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ITM has decades of experience fighting infectious diseases and curbing epidemics. We are fully committed to helping stop the COVID-19 pandemic that is threatening the world. To this end, we work together with partners at home and abroad.
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Ebola is a deadly disease that was co-discovered in 1976 by researchers of the institute. ITM has been closely monitoring subsequent outbreaks on the African continent, as well as contributing to new developments in diagnostics and treatment.
