The Scientific Director of the Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Dr Sara EYANGOH, has been awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Anesvad Foundation.

This international recognition is the fruit of a large body of work produced as part of the fight against NTDs in Africa.

On 8 May 2025, Dr Sara Irène EYANGOH from the Centre Pasteur in Cameroon was one of the guests at the 10th Anesvad Foundation Awards in Bilbao. The Jury appreciated her work in defending the right to health in sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular in relation to Neglected Tropical Diseases, and awarded her the 2025 Award of Excellence for her lifetime achievements.

As part of Sara’s research work, most of which focuses on neglected tropical diseases, several scientific articles have been published, notably on Buruli ulcer, a neglected tropical disease caused by a mycobacterium which, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), belongs to the family of bacteria responsible for tuberculosis and leprosy.

Tied in this category, she shares the prize with Spanish journalist Rafael VILASANJUAN, former Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières and founding member of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).

Currently Scientific Director of the Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Sara EYANGOH spent several years running the CPC’s Mycobacteriology Laboratory, which houses Cameroon’s national reference laboratory for tuberculosis. She also heads Cameroon’s national reference laboratory for Buruli ulcer.

Thanks to its dynamism, the Centre Pasteur du Cameroun is the coordination centre for the Skin NTD LABNET network, which is based in 12 laboratories in 9 African countries. This network is developing a molecular diagnostic system to help national programmes and clinicians confirm cases of neglected tropical diseases. In addition to Buruli ulcer, the Skin NTD LABNET network is interested in the diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis, leprosy, mycetoma and Pian.

Active for over 50 years, the Anesvad Foundation has made the fight against neglected tropical diseases (Buruli Ulcer, Leprosy, Pian, Lymphatic Filariasis, Dracunculiasis, Leishmaniasis) its priority. In particular, it works to guarantee access to healthcare for people living in the world’s poorest communities.