Israel Reaffirms Support for Zambia’s Health Research Through CIDRZ
The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) has hosted Her Excellency Ofra Farhi, Ambassador of Israel to Zambia, who has reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to supporting health innovation and research through strengthened collaboration with Zambian institutions.
The Ambassador made the remarks during a courtesy visit to CIDRZ Headquarters in Lusaka on 26 January 2026, where she met with CIDRZ Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Monde Muyoyeta.
Ambassador Farhi was accompanied by Professor Daniel Cohen, former Head of the School of Public Health at Tel Aviv University and currently Director of the International Summer Institute of Advanced Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine. Also present was the Economic and MASHAV (Agency for International Development Cooperation) Coordinator at the Israeli Embassy, Ms Peggy Mlewa.
During the engagement, Ambassador Farhi underscored the importance of expanding partnerships in health research, noting that Israel is keen to identify practical areas of collaboration that can deliver tangible benefits to Zambia’s public health sector.
Professor Cohen highlighted ongoing collaborative research with CIDRZ on Shigella, a major cause of bacterial diarrhoeal disease globally, particularly among children under five. He said the research programme, which has been underway in Zambia since 2017, estimates Shigella prevalence at between 20 and 30 per cent among children presenting with moderate-to-severe diarrhoea.
He further noted that additional studies have been conducted in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province in collaboration with the Arthur Davidson Children’s Hospital and the Copperbelt University School of Medicine in Ndola. The findings, he said, are contributing to global efforts to develop a Shigella vaccine and assess its potential use among children under five in sub-Saharan Africa.
Welcoming the delegation, Dr Muyoyeta provided an overview of CIDRZ as a leading Zambian non-profit research institution with more than 20 years of experience in conducting high-quality health research. She said CIDRZ currently manages over 90 research grants supported by 30 funding partners and maintains strong clinical research capacity through skilled personnel and established research sites across the country.
Dr Muyoyeta also highlighted shifts in the global funding environment, noting that CIDRZ is actively exploring sustainable pathways to continue delivering impactful research and public health interventions despite reduced resources.
Speaking during the meeting, CIDRZ Director of Basic Science and Immunology, Professor Zaza Ndhlovu, emphasised the need to modernise and strengthen the organisation’s basic science laboratory infrastructure. He said enhanced capacity is critical for expanding research in oncology, cancer immunology, next-generation sequencing, and related scientific fields.
Also in attendance were CIDRZ research scientists Dr Caroline Chisenga, Senior Biomedical Scientist, and Dr Kalo Musukuma, Assistant Research Scientist.
