The Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize was established in 2006 by the Government of Japan in honor of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi (1876-1928), an outstanding Japanese medical scientist who at the onset of 20th century, at the time when infectious diseases were raging, dedicated his life to bacteriological research and died while studying yellow fever in Africa.
This prize is an international prize that shines the light on fundamental medical research, clinical research, and medical services for Africa, and to honor individuals and organizations that are at the frontline of continuing challenge to solve the world’s common issues of combatting infectious disease and thus contributing to the health and welfare of the Africans and of all humankind.
Nominations are being collected until September 25th, 2021 for the upcoming 4th Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize which will be awarded in 2022.
Contents of the Prize
A citation, a medal and 100 million yen are awarded at the ceremony.
Role of WHO Regional Office for Africa
WHO Regional Office for Africa is providing secretarial assistance to the Selection Committee for one of the two prize categories - the Medical Services Category (the other one being the Medical Research Category).
Present-day significance
Now, a century after the era of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, when humankind is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, combatting infectious disease and advancing public health have become urgent present-day issues.
Now is the time to disseminate the philosophy of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize and use it to reaffirm the importance of medical services in African countries. This would exert a strong traction for the post-COVID 21st century so that the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 3 envisioned by WHO “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” would be achieved.
The Prize aims to honor individuals with outstanding achievements in the fields of medical research and medical services to combat infectious and other diseases in Africa, thus contributing to the health and welfare of the African people and of all humankind.
Scope
【Medical Research Category】 Basic medical research / Clinical medical research / Life science research closely related to medicine
【Medical Services Category】 Field-level medical/public health activities to combat diseases and advance public health
Only nominations by a third party are accepted; self-nominations are not allowed.
Nominations are limited to people who are still living. No distinction will be made based on nationality, age or gender. In case of nominating an organization, nominations are limited to currently active organizations.
Frequency of awards
The award ceremony is held to coincide with the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD). After the 3rd Prize, award ceremonies are planned to be held once in 3 years.
