K-RITH (Kwazulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV) was a

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

research institute in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. The Institute is a collaboration of the

Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland with additional facilities in Ashburn, Virginia. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American busin ...

and the

University of KwaZulu-Natal The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN; , ) is a public research university with five campuses in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University ...

. K-RITH's 7-story research facility is situated on the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine Campus at UKZN and opened on 9 October 2012.

Building

The home of K-RITH is a seven-story, 4000 sq. meter research building on the grounds of the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine at the

. The building was designed by FGG Architects and includes Biosafety level 3 (BSL3) laboratories, able to handle pathogens such as

Mycobacterium tuberculosis ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (M. tb), also known as Koch's bacillus, is a species of pathogenic bacteria in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis. First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, ''M. tuberculosis'' ha ...

, the causative agent of TB, as well as

the causative agent of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. Approximately 10 K-RITH research groups will conduct research in the building, and office space will be used by other organisations, such as

CAPRISA CAPRISA ("Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa") is the name of an AIDS research center based in Durban, South Africa. History CAPRISA was established in 2002 under the National Institutes of Health program called Comprehe ...

. The K-RITH Tower Building, as it is officially named, cost R346m to build, and was officially opened on 9 October 2012, to a crowd of many local and international dignitaries, including the South African Minister of Health,

Aaron Motsoaledi Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi (born 7 August 1958) is a South African politician is the Minister of Health (South Africa), Minister of Health in the cabinet of South Africa, having been appointed in this position with effect 3 July 2024. He was previo ...

. In 2016, K-RITH merged with the African Centre for Population Health to form the Africa Health Research Institute.

References

External links

Homepage of the institute
{{authority control 2012 establishments in South Africa HIV/AIDS in South Africa Research institutes in South Africa Research institutes established in 2012 University of KwaZulu-Natal