Russian-Burundi Center for the Study and Prevention of Infections: History of Creation, Goals and Objectives of the Center, Main Areas of Scientific Research

The paper presents an analysis of the formation and initial results of work of the Joint Russian-Burundian Center for the Study and Prevention of Infectious Diseases (hereinafter “the Center”), created in 2023 in Bujumbura at the premises of the National Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Burundi. It is shown that the establishing of the Center became a natural outcome of the strengthening bilateral relations between Russia and Burundi, including the signing of an interdepartmental Memorandum of Cooperation (December 2022), the opening of a Russian laboratory (February 2023), and the signing of the Center’s constituent documents within the framework of the Second Russia–Africa Summit (July 2023). A key feature of the Center is the integration of leading scientific institutions of the Rospotrebnadzor with national experts from Burundi, which enables fundamental and applied research on a wide range of infectious threats relevant to the East African region. The results of scientific research on natural-focal infections, the etiology of acute intestinal infections, the prevalence of HIV infection, and viral hepatitis markers among the population are presented. Considerable attention is also given to systematic personnel training – more than 130 Burundian specialists have been trained in modern methods of laboratory diagnostics, epidemiological monitoring, and biosafety. The experience of the Center represents an effective model of scientific diplomacy and practical public health, significant for strengthening biological security in the African region.

1. Popova A.Yu., Smolensky V.Yu., Demina Yu.V., Maleev V.V., Kutyrev V.V., Shcherbakova S.A., Maksyutov R.A., Pyankov O.V., Keita S., Boiro M.Y., Magassouba N., Itskov Ya.Yu., Kolomoets E.V. [Contribution of the Russian Federation to strengthening epidemiological surveillance of dangerous infectious diseases in the territory of the Republic of Guinea]. Problemy Osobo Opasnykh Infektsii [Problems of Particularly Dangerous Infections]. 2019; (3):6–13. DOI: 10.21055/0370-1069-2019-3-6-13.

2. Onishchenko G.G., Popova A.Yu., Toporkov V.P., Smolensky V.Yu., Shcherbakova S.A., Kutyrev V.V. [Present-day menaces and challenges in the sphere of biological safety and strategy of countermeasures]. Problemy Osobo Opasnykh Infektsii [Problems of Particularly Dangerous Infections]. 2015; (3):5–9. DOI: 10.21055/0370-1069-2015-3-5-9.

3. Grace D. Food safety in low and middle income countries. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2017; 12(9):10490–507. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph120910490.

4. Havelaar A.H., Kirk M.D., Torgerson P.R., Gibb H.J., Hald T., Lake R.J., Praet N., Bellinger D.C., de Silva N.R., Gargouri N., Speybroeck N., Cawthorne A., Mathers C., Stein C., Angulo F.J., Devleesschauwer B.; World Health Organization Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group. World Health Organization global estimates and regional comparisons of the burden of food-borne disease. PLoS Med. 2015; 12(12):e1001923. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001923.

5. TASS. [Rospotrebnadzor expects the start of joint research of infectious disease specialists from Russia and Burundi]. 05 May 2023. (Cited 27 Aug 2026). [Internet]. Available from: https://tass.ru/obschestvo/17682203.

6. RIA News. [Rospotrebnadzor helped in creating a laboratory for diagnostics of infections in Burundi]. 15 Feb 2023. (Cited 27 Aug 2026). [Internet]. Available from: https://ria.ru/20230215/laboratoriya-1852163651.html.

7. Interfax. Russian public health watchdog, Burundian ministry to set up joint infections research center. 28 July 2023. [Internet]. Available from: https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/93092/.

8. DeWaal C.S., Robert N., Witmer J., Tian X. Foodborne Illness in Africa: A review of the literature. Food Protection Trends. 2010; 30(8):478–90.

9. Bagamian K.H., Anderson J.D. 4th, Muhib F., Cumming O., Laytner L.A., Wierzba T.F., Rheingans R. Heterogeneity in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and shigella infections in children under 5 years of age from 11 African countries: a subnational approach quantifying risk, mortality, morbidity, and stunting. Lancet Glob. Health. 2020; 8(1):e101-e112. DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30456-5.

10. Kuboka M., Mutie I., Artursson K., Lindahl J., Carlsson G., Mutua F., Grace D. Prevalence of Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. in the East African Community: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Food Microbiol. 2025; 136:105004. DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2025.105004.

11. Shafiq M., Zeng M., Permana B., Bilal H., Huang J., Yao F., Algammal A.M., Li X., Yuan Y., Jiao X. Coexistence of blaNDM-5 and tet(X4) in international high-risk Escherichia coli clone ST648 of human origin in China. Front. Microbiol. 2022; 13:1031688. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1031688.

12. GBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators. Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2020; 396(10258):1204–22. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30925-9.

13. UNAIDS. Country factsheets: Burundi. HIV and AIDS Estimates. Geneva: Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS; 2024. P. 294–5. [Internet]. Available from: https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/data-book-2024_en.pdf.

14. Akindavyi C. Situation épidémiologique du VIH au Burundi. [Report at the VI International Scientific and Practical Conference on Countering Infectious Diseases: New Challenges (December 11–12, 2025, St. Petersburg)]. St. Petersburg; 2025.

15. Orekhov S.N., Yavorsky A.N. [Biological threats and biological safety]. Bulletin of the University named after O.E. Kutafin (MSAL). 2020; (5):60–73. DOI: 10.17803/2311-5998.2020.69.5.060-073.

16. [World Health Organization. Global guidance on criteria and validation processes for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B virus]. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2024. 70 p.

17. Bastug K., Umar U., Olson B., Slusher T., Faulk C., Okolo M., Oguche S., Thielen B.K. Utilization of Oxford Nanopore Technology for human infectious disease detection and surveillance in Africa: a scoping review. Access Microbiol. 2025; 7(7):001020.v3. DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.001020.v3.

18. Belashchenko D.A., Shodzhonov I.F. [On the issue of ensuring biological sovereignty of the Russian Federation]. Via in tempore. History. Political Science. 2023; 50(4):1084–94. DOI: 10.52575/2687-0967-2023-50-4-1084-1094.

19. Agence Burundaise de Presse. La coopération russo-burundaise renforce les capacités de surveillance des maladies infectieuses. 30 avril 2026. [Internet]. Available from: https://ab-pinfo.bi/2026/04/30/la-cooperation-russo-burundaise-renforce-les-capacites-de-surveillance-des-maladies-infectieuses/.

20. Rospotrebnadzor. [Joint exercises on responding to infectious disease threats, held in Burundi]. November 15, 2024. [Internet]. Available from: https://www.rospotrebnadzor.ru/about/info/news/page1.php?ELEMENT_ID=28784&ysclid=mu16k45sd8129458230.