Dr. Stephanie Richards received grant funding of $5,500 for a research study titled, “Getting malaria ‘off the backs’ of women and children in rural western Uganda”. The funding was awarded as a subcontract from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (UNCCH) to quantify permethrin content in “lesu” fabric swatches that have been used to carry babies around in Uganda. This subcontract work is part of a larger UNC study (funded by Doris Duke Foundation) to reduce the incidence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria among young children, who are most at high risk of developing severe disease and potentially life-threatening complications. In the UNC study, investigators are comparing malaria incidence in participants with permethrin-treated and untreated fabrics, with a hypothesis stating that those wearing the treated fabrics will experience fewer mosquito bites and hence, lower disease incidence. Dr. Avian White coordinates the gas chromatograph analyses of the fabric samples with another ECU department, with Naina Sharma Bastakoti (MS Environmental Health student) helping her in sample preparation.

Photo source: CDC Public Health Image Library