ABOUT IFAIN
ABOUT US
CORE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
OUR MISSION
About IFAIN – The International Foundation Against Infectious Disease in Nigeria
Headquartered in Abuja, the International Foundation Against Infectious Disease in Nigeria (IFAIN) is a premier non-profit research institution committed to addressing the burden of pediatric infectious diseases through robust surveillance, advanced research,
About IFAIN – The International Foundation Against Infectious Disease in Nigeria
Headquartered in Abuja, the International Foundation Against Infectious Disease in Nigeria (IFAIN) is a premier non-profit research institution committed to addressing the burden of pediatric infectious diseases through robust surveillance, advanced research, and strategic capacity development. IFAIN was founded in response to Nigeria’s urgent need for accurate, data-driven insights into the causes and drivers of childhood morbidity and mortality, particularly in underserved communities.
Nigeria remains one of the countries with the highest under-five mortality rates globally. Recent epidemiological analyses have consistently identified invasive bacterial infections as a major contributor to child deaths across Sub-Saharan Africa. While many of these infections are preventable through routine immunization, accurate diagnostics, and standardized clinical practices, progress has been significantly hampered by the absence of reliable, population-level data—especially within vulnerable and marginalized populations.
IFAIN was established to bridge this critical knowledge gap. Leveraging cutting-edge field diagnostics and population-based surveillance, we generate high-quality, actionable data on bacterial syndromes and opportunistic infections affecting Nigerian children. Our research directly supports the development and implementation of targeted vaccines, diagnostics, and treatment protocols while enabling ongoing evaluation of their effectiveness across high-risk areas.
Special emphasis is placed on children living with underlying health challenges such as HIV, sickle cell disease (SCD), and malnutrition. By advancing the scientific understanding of these co-morbidities in resource-limited settings, IFAIN contributes to more effective public health strategies—helping policymakers, clinicians, and global health partners reduce preventable childhood deaths in Nigeria and across the region.
OUR MISSION
CORE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
OUR MISSION
IFAIN is committed to improving the quality of life of children in Nigeria, and the rest of the world, by reducing the burden of infectious and related diseases.
CORE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
CORE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
CORE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Core Goals
- Reduce under-five mortality and morbidity attributable to infectious diseases.
- Enhance disease prevention, diagnosis, and therapeutic responses through applied research and innovation.
- Strengthen local healthcare systems by embedding sustainable laboratory and clinical capacities.
Strategic Objectives
- Generate accurate, commun
Core Goals
- Reduce under-five mortality and morbidity attributable to infectious diseases.
- Enhance disease prevention, diagnosis, and therapeutic responses through applied research and innovation.
- Strengthen local healthcare systems by embedding sustainable laboratory and clinical capacities.
Strategic Objectives
- Generate accurate, community-based data on the burden and incidence of pediatric infectious diseases.
- Lead translational and implementation research to uncover the true etiologies of life-threatening childhood illnesses.
- Equip healthcare institutions with advanced diagnostic technologies to improve clinical outcomes.
- Build human resource capacity by training medical professionals, researchers, and students in infectious disease control.
- Foster long-term partnerships with academic institutions, healthcare providers, and global health organizations to promote shared learning and collaborative impact.
IFAIN IMPACT
CHILDREN SCREENED
CHILDREN SCREENED
CHILDREN SCREENED
Over 21,000 + Children have been screened
AMR LAB PROTOCOLS
CHILDREN SCREENED
CHILDREN SCREENED
16
LAB PERSONNEL TRAINER
AMR SENTINEL SITES SUPPORTED
AMR SENTINEL SITES SUPPORTED
Over 100 personnel have been trained
AMR SENTINEL SITES SUPPORTED
AMR SENTINEL SITES SUPPORTED
AMR SENTINEL SITES SUPPORTED
11 Supported Sites
IFAIN PROJECTS
IFAIN Launches BRAVE Project in Nigeria to Boost Vaccine Safety Monitoring, Targets Lassa Fever
The International Foundation Against Infectious Disease in Nigeria (IFAIN), in collaboration with the Global Vaccine Data Network (GVDN), has launched the Background Rates of Adverse Events for Vaccine Evaluation in Africa (BRAVE) project in Nigeria, with additional implementation in Ghana, Rwanda, and Kenya.
Officially kicked off at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) in Bauchi, the project aims to establish baseline incidence rates of key health conditions across four Nigerian sites—namely FMC Owo, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, and ATBUTH, which serves as the lead implementation hub.
Over a three-year core implementation period, the project will gather pre-vaccine data. This will be followed by an additional two years of surveillance, making a total span of five years . Data will be collected from patients admitted in pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology, and internal medicine departments, using a pre-defined list of priority conditions.
A key focus is to prepare for the rollout of Lassa fever vaccines, ensuring that once introduced, any deviations from baseline health data can be confidently assessed as vaccine‑related or incidental.
Beyond surveillance, BRAVE aims to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare framework by building health worker capacity and improving data infrastructure—a strategic step toward advancing the country’s readiness for future vaccine and drug trials.
Community-Acquired Bacteremic Syndromes in Young Nigerian Children (CABSYNC)
The primary objective of the CABSYNC project is to identify and characterize the causative agents of community-acquired bacteremic syndromes in malaria-endemic regions, with a specific focus on young children in Nigeria. In addition, the project seeks to generate insights into host immune responses that may inform the development of both primary and secondary prevention strategies.
Key Objectives:
- Identify and characterize the bacterial pathogens responsible for community-acquired bacteremic syndromes in young Nigerian children.
- Assess the role of respiratory viruses in exacerbating the severity of bacteremia and radiologic pneumonia.
- Evaluate acute inflammatory response profiles in children with bacteremic syndromes complicated by respiratory distress.
Community-Acquired Pneumonia and Invasive Bacterial Diseases in Young Nigerian Children (CAPIBD)
The primary goal of CAPIBD was to create a platform for generating local data on the causes and burden of community-acquired pneumonia and opportunistic/bacteremic syndromes (bacteremia, sepsis, and meningitis), to promote prevention by increasing the use of existing vaccines, stimulating the development of new vaccines, and providing a platform to monitor the impact of these vaccines.
Project Objectives:
- Establish two field and laboratory sites to determine the pathogen-specific burden of bacteremic syndromes in children.
- Determine incidence rates of childhood bacteremic syndromes.
- Determine the role of respiratory viruses in severe childhood pneumonia.
- Determine the role of comorbid conditions (e.g., HIV, sickle cell disease [SCD], and malaria) in bacteremic syndromes.
MHEALTH
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited disorder of red blood cells with multisystem manifestations and the highest disease burden in Nigeria, where over 150,000 babies are born annually. Fewer than 50% survive beyond the first five years of life due to severe infections. The overall aim was to evaluate a new point-of-care diagnostic with digital transmission of results to a central database and to mobile phones for patient tracking, in order to improve turnaround time for diagnosis, specialist-clinic registration, and follow-up, with the ultimate goal of providing a scalable platform for a robust national surveillance program for SCD care.
Project Objectives:
- Develop a mobile-health platform for SCD and malaria point-of-care testing, registration, and tracking of newborns and children under five years of age in Kano, Nigeria.
- Evaluate the performance of mobile-health tools for diagnosis (Gazelle point-of-care test) and tracking (custom-built Mobile Patient Health Record System application) of patients with SCD.
Expertise Joint West Africa Research Group (JWARG)
The JWARG study—Severe Infectious Diseases Surveillance and Detection in West Africa (RV466)—aimed to identify common pathogens in the region that pose significant public-health threats. The International Foundation Against Infectious Disease in Nigeria (IFAIN), in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), worked to strengthen laboratory capacity in Nigerian military health facilities.
Project Objectives:
- Strengthen participants’ capacity to detect and respond promptly and appropriately to public-health emergencies.
- Assess existing facility, clinical, and laboratory responses in Nigeria in order to design an appropriate curriculum.
Vertical Transmitted Infections (VTI)
Maternal rectovaginal colonization with Group B Streptococcus (GBS) and vertical transmission of resistant bacteria predispose neonates to early-onset invasive disease. This project aimed to assess, among pregnant women colonized with GBS and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative organisms, the risk factors for neonatal disease and the associated maternal and perinatal adverse outcomes.
Project Objectives:
- Determine risk factors for colonization and associated perinatal events, and evaluate strategies to prevent vertical transmission.
- Study the serotype distribution of GBS isolates associated with colonization in mother–newborn dyads.
- Characterize the capsular serotype distribution of invasive isolates from infants.
- Compare the relative invasive potential of GBS serotypes associated with early-onset disease.
- Investigate extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–producing isolates associated with colonization in mother–newborn dyads.
Fleming Fund Country Grant
The Fleming Fund project implemented a One Health approach to strengthen antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial use (AMU) surveillance in Nigeria. The initiative enhanced governance, laboratory capacity, and intersectoral collaboration across the human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
Project Objectives
- Build a One Health governance structure for AMR/AMU surveillance by establishing a One Health National Steering Committee (OHNSC) to work closely with the National AMR Coordinating Committee (AMRCC) Secretariat.
- Strengthen AMR/AMU surveillance systems in human health by linking two leading Nigerian laboratory and surveillance organizations with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to support adherence to international standards and ensure quality.
- Strengthen AMR and AMU surveillance in food animals by building shared initiatives between the private food-production sector and the public animal-health sector, balancing production and marketing with research, workforce training, and regulatory functions.
- Establish a foundation for AMR surveillance in aquatic animals.
- Conduct a situational analysis of environmental laboratory stakeholders to assess the requirements for an AMR bacteriology sentinel site for environmental health.
Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS)
Goal: Use minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) as an alternative to traditional autopsy to determine the causes of stillbirth, neonatal and infant death, and pregnancy-related deaths.
Project Objectives:
- Apply MITS to investigate causes of stillbirth, neonatal death, and maternal/pregnancy-associated deaths.
- Apply MITS to investigate deaths among children aged 1 month–18 years.
- Explore sociobehavioral factors associated with acceptance or refusal of MITS.
Global Genomic and Proteomic Profiling of African Children with Typhoid Fever
This project aims to advance the development of innovative, low-cost molecular diagnostic tools for the rapid detection of typhoid fever. Additionally, it seeks to deepen our understanding of the disease’s molecular pathogenesis and host immune response, ultimately supporting the development of next-generation typhoid fever vaccines.
Project Objectives
- Identify host response genes specifically associated with typhoid fever using gene expression microarray analysis.
- Detect serum proteins uniquely reactive to Salmonella Typhi using newly developed S. Typhi proteome microarrays.
- Design and develop a prototype serological assay for the detection of acute typhoid infection.
- Validate identified host classifier genes and conduct field testing of prototype ELISAs using independent, newly recruited patient cohorts.
Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance in Africa Using Data Science (CAMRA)
The CAMRA project is a comprehensive field-to-laboratory investigation of Nigerian and Rwandan children with serious bacterial infections (SBI). It aims to characterize the distribution and determinants of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among Enterobacterales and the diseases they cause by prospectively enrolling hospitalized newborns, infants, and children with severe bacterial infection syndromes.
Project Objectives:
- Analyze the phenotypic and genotypic profiles of Enterobacterales isolates from Nigeria and Rwanda.
- Correlate multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) status with the clinical course and outcomes of infected patients.
- Determine household reservoirs of MDROs.
Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in the Meningitis Belt of Nigeria (IPD-MeniNG)
This study conducts surveillance of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Nigeria’s meningitis belt, with a focus on the role of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) in severe bacterial infections.
Project Objectives:
- Determine the contribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) to sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis in north-central Nigeria.
- Identify host and pathogen risk factors associated with poor clinical outcomes.
MDRO Surveillance – TETFund Isolates Re-Identification Project
This project focused on the re-identification of bacterial isolates from University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, processed at the IFAIN Laboratory using the VITEK 2 automated system. It was part of broader efforts to strengthen surveillance capacity and improve the accurate characterization of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).
IFAIN LAB
IFAIN’s laboratory—pictured—provides a clean and well-organized environment for the receipt, processing, analysis, and storage of samples related to child health and infectious disease, particularly in Nigeria. Clearly marked work zones, modern instruments, and PPE stations facilitate safe and efficient workflows, while SOPs and routine calibration ensure quality, traceability, and reliable results through daily QA, all of which are crucial for advancing pediatric research and improving global health.
IFAIN TEAM
Bernard Ebruke
Country Director Research
Nekpen Ogbomo
Chief Operations Officer
Theresa Ajose
Project Administrator
Grace Olanipekun
Lab Manager
Tope Egbetade
Med Lab Scientist
Joy Alaba
Med Lab Scientist
James Abu Ochiekwu
Med Lab Scientist
