AHRI-IVI Collaborating Center

Background
In July 2021, AHRI and IVI signed an MOU and launched the AHRI-IVI Collaborating Center on May 23, 2022.

Left to right: Dr. Se Eun Park, IVI PI of ECCP; H.E. Kang Seok-hee, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ethiopia; H.E. Dereje Duguma, Ethiopian State Minister of Health; Mr. Seunghwan Yang, LG Electronics Ethiopia Office Representative; and Dr. Shallo Dhaba cut the ribbon to officially open the AHRI-IVI Collaborating Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on May 23, 2022..
- Development and implementation of collaborative projects such as clinical trials, vaccine R&D, the IVI Vaccinology Course, technology transfers, disease burden studies, vaccine introduction, and policy engagement
- Development and submission of joint proposals for research and/or capacity building
- Seconding or exchange of staff members between AHRI and IVI
- Exchange of academic, education, scientific, and scholarly materials
Collaborative Programs
ECCP provided free cholera vaccination for 100,000 residents in areas at risk of cholera and established a disease monitoring system to strengthen local public health capabilities in Ethiopia. ECCP uses the oral cholera vaccine (OCV) developed by IVI and produced by the Korean vaccine manufacturer EuBiologics.
ECCP will also evaluate the effectiveness and impact of OCV after vaccination and collect epidemiological data of cholera and other diarrhea diseases by conducting follow-up monitoring for several years. This will contribute to the Ethiopian government’s efforts to establish policies for combating waterborne diseases such as cholera.
Globally, ECCP seeks to build a model for the ‘Ending Cholera—A Global Roadmap to 2030’ initiative in cholera-endemic countries.
ECCP is funded by LG Electronics, KSC and other donors* and led by IVI in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, and AHRI.
*The project was also funded by Rotary International District 3640, Kim & Chang, Korean Association of Otorhinolaryngologists, Korea Pediatric Association, Pfizer Korea, Sky72 Golf Club, EuBiologics, Sartorius Korea, Raphas, Coreana Cosmetics, Korea Support Committee for IVI, and countless individual donors in Korea.