Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde | Institute of Tropical Medicine

31/10/2025

🍬 This was October, the Halloween month full of treats! Swipe for some sweet moments worth sharing.

1. Climate and health go hand in hand 💚 Together with thousands of others, our colleagues joined the Climate March for a liveable future.

2. This month, we welcomed students from Erasmushogeschool BXL and showed them around.🤗

3. Who knew heritage could make a splash? 💦 Our garden’s water basin is nominated for the Heritage Challenge. Help us win and vote here! Stem en geef erfgoed een toekomst! | KIK

4. Hello from Atlanta! ITM joined the International Conference for Realist Research. And guess what? We’re bringing the 2027 conference to Antwerp! 🎉

5. Ship ahoy! As a 'thank you' for taking part in Open Monumentendag, we were invited on the Kerkship at Houtdok Eilandje. A unique reception for all Antwerp participants! ⚓

6. Our colleague Bouke De Jong joined the Wetenschapje podcast to talk about bacteria and whether you can wash your hands too often! Curious? Comment an emoji and we’ll DM you the link!👐

7. During the ‘Microbes that Matter’ Soirée, we explored the fascinating world of microbes together with artists and researchers through live lab performances, hands-on experiments, and discussions.. 🦠

8. Yum! Our doctoral students were treated to hot chocolate and pancakes. Do we hear something growling over there? 🥞

9. Meet our new PhD graduates: Christelle, Gountante, Isabel, Lena, Opeyemi and last but not least, Quang! 💪

10. ITM colleagues paid a visit to our partner, the INS in Mozambique to provide training on financial management, monitoring and evaluation! 🔎

29/10/2025

⚡AI gives scientists superpowers — but also super responsibilities.

How can artificial intelligence help defeat drug-resistant tuberculosis?

Meet Prof. Oren Tzfadia, ITM’s computational biologist, using omics and AI to unlock new insights into one of the world’s deadliest diseases.

🎤 Join his keynote at the ITM Colloquium 2025, on Wednesday 5 November.
📖Read the full interview: https://www.itg.be/en/health-stories/articles/ai-gives-scientists-superpowers-but-also-super-responsibilities

22/10/2025

⛲Laat jij het water opnieuw stromen in dit verborgen stukje erfgoed?

Ons historisch waterbassin aan de ingang van de ITG-kliniek is genomineerd voor de Erfgoed Challenge van het Koninklijk Instituut voor het Kunstpatrimonium - KIK en de Nationale Loterij / Loterie Nationale!

Geef ons je stem en help deze historische parel weer schitteren.

👉 Stem nu via: https://www.kikirpa.be/nl/erfgoedobjecten/stemmen?q=37eba31f-bbfb-42e2-8c64-5891df9b6aff



[ENG]

⛲Will you help bring water back to this hidden gem?

Our historic water basin at the entrance of ITM’s clinic has been nominated for the Heritage Challenge by KIK and the National Lottery!
Cast your vote and let this heritage treasure shine again.

👉 Vote now: https://www.kikirpa.be/en/

22/10/2025

⛲Laat jij het water opnieuw stromen in dit verborgen stukje erfgoed?

Ons historisch waterbassin aan de ingang van de ITG-kliniek is genomineerd voor de Erfgoed Challenge van het .be en de !

Geef ons je stem en help deze historische parel weer schitteren.

👉 Stem nu via 🔗 in bio.

[ENG]
⛲Will you help bring water back to this hidden gem?

Our historic water basin at the entrance of ITM’s clinic has been nominated for the Heritage Challenge by .be and the !

Cast your vote and let this heritage treasure shine again.

👉 Vote now 🔗 in bio.

17/10/2025

Started off the academic year with great energy 💥 Students, alumni, teachers, and staff gathered for a festive opening of the academic year. Speeches were inspiring, the choir sang beautifully, and the energy was palpable as we welcomed our new masters and postgraduate students to a fresh start full of promise.

Good luck to all our students!🍀Enjoy your time at ITM in Antwerp!

16/10/2025

🌍 Looking to make a real impact in public health?
Join our alumni-led webinar and get an insider’s look at the Master of Science in Public Health (60 ECTS) at ITM Antwerp.

This programme gives you the knowledge and skills to strengthen health systems and improve disease prevention & control for populations in vulnerable settings worldwide.
Why choose ITM Antwerp?
- Join a diverse group of public health professionals from around the world
- Learn from experts actively working in research on health systems & tropical diseases
- Tackle real-world health challenges
- Build critical skills in research and strategic decision-making

🎓 This isn’t just your average presentation - our freshly graduated students will be sharing their personal experiences, and the programme coordinator will also be there to answer all your practical questions. Perfect chance to hear it all, directly from the source!

📅 Wednesday, 19 November 2025
⏰ 13:00-14:00 CET
🔗Register now: https://itg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_08oOKThtRpS0sYsQxF3Qfg #/registration

Find our more about the MPH programme https://www.itg.be/en/study/courses/master-msc-in-public-health-orientation-health-systems-and-disease-control/2026-2027?tab=about-the-course
Full and partial scholarships available.

03/10/2025

🚀 Let’s go! The academic year has officially kicked off, and what a fantastic start it was! Our campus was buzzing with excitement as students, alumni, and teaching staff came together to celebrate. The event featured inspiring words from our Executive Director Özge Tunçalp, promising alumna Dr Faridath Massou (Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory, Benin), and Tom Verbelen, Director of External Relations and International Affairs of the City of Antwerp. Class representatives shared their thoughts in a lively panel discussion, giving everyone a glimpse of the energy and ideas they will bring in the coming year.

Good luck to all our students! 🍀 We can’t wait to see the new opportunities, exciting challenges and great achievements ahead. Let’s make this year unforgettable!

02/10/2025

📢 Tune in next Thursday for Fernando’s webinar!

Fernando Arnaiz Guerrero, an anaesthesiologist from Spain, is a graduate of the Master in Tropical Medicine (MTM) programme and the winner of the Province Prize for Global Research. He will share the key findings from his master’s thesis on intravenous phage therapy for hard-to-treat infections. By reviewing patient data from published studies, he created the first complete overview of this promising treatment and its potential as an alternative to standard antibiotics.

📅 When: 9 October 2025
🕒 Time: 15:00–16:00 CET

📝 Subject: Safety and Efficacy of Intravenous Phage Therapy for Difficult-to-Treat Infections: An Individual Patient Data (IPD) Systematic Review
🔗 More info & registration: https://itg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Lo7TypheSc6LUshdaLg29Q #/registration

01/10/2025

The influenza virus is a yearly seasonal virus that can cause mild to moderate symptoms, specially in people at risk. It can also cause severe illness resulting in hospitalization or even death.

Multiple types of the influenza virus exist, and most vaccines are designed to combat three or four types. The vaccine investigated in this study, is designed to prevent influenza disease, regardless of the type of virus. Therefore, it could be more widely used.

More information about the study, the compensation and how to register can be found on our website! We hope to meet you soon. 👋

We are investigating a novel vaccine against influenza - sign up today!

30/09/2025

Back to school month 🍂 With fall in the air, let’s re-wind September!

1. Congrats to Jihad Snobre on her PhD! She investigated how tuberculosis bacteria develop resistance to bedaquiline, a key drug for drug-resistant TB. 🎓

2. In solidarity with our healthcare colleagues in Gaza, who continue their vital work under the most difficult conditions, we joined the demonstration ‘Medics on the move for what matters’ in Brussels. ✊

3. Our partners were happy to reconnect at the fifth and final consortium meeting of the EDCTP-funded SIMBLE project. Stay tuned for the results!

4. Spotted an ITM superhero in Saving Lives, the comic book by Vaccinopolis University of Antwerp! 🦸‍♀️

5. Congrats to Lalita Roy for defending her PhD! She examined sand fly vectors and insecticide resistance to understand and control visceral leishmaniasis transmission in Nepal. 🎓

6. ...and give it up for Bassirou Souleymane Tiemogo as well! His PhD evaluated treatment strategies for drug-resistant and recurrent tuberculosis in Niger. 🎓

7. Among the sculptures and greenery of Middelheim park, our MPH students got to know each other and shared personal stories, a promising start to the academic year!

8. Meet Wenne and Cora, here to support you at Vhiva, a group for people living with HIV. 🎗️

9. Say hi to our colleagues at our booth at in Hamburg!

10. Our executive director Özge Tunçalp was welcomed at the Laboratoire de Référence des Mycobactéries and at CERRHUD, our longstanding partners in Benin, to see their impressive work firsthand. 🌍

28/09/2025

Today is World Rabies Day with this year’s WHO theme: “Act now: You, Me, Community” 🌍

💉 Rabies is preventable. Timely vaccination and, when needed, rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) can save lives. In Belgium, two centers provide RIG, the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) and UZA - Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen, which work together as one national reference center, ensuring fast treatment and expert follow-up.

🚨 In their new study on rabies prevention, Belgian researchers found that travelers exposed abroad often face delays in starting post-exposure shots: only ~50% got the vaccine and ~30% got immunoglobulin within 2 days. The good news? 99.5% still developed strong antibody protection, meaning routine follow-up blood tests aren’t needed for most patients.

Pro tip: Get your pre-exposure rabies shots before your travel.

Read the full paper: https://bit.ly/3Wa7fI6

🐕 This year’s theme reminds us that you, me, and our communities can make a real difference: vaccinate pets, raise awareness, and work together to prevent rabies.