Japanese firm Eisai Co., Ltd. announced that it has decided to assent to and support a project led by CA Medlynks Kenya, Ltd., a subsidiary of the healthcare startup company engaged in improving healthcare access in Africa, Connect Afya Co., Ltd., which aims to build a new structure for the efficient testing framework for the novel coronavirus infection in Kenya. CA Medlynks Kenya, Ltd., in collaboration with the government of Meru County in Kenya, will support the setup of PCR testing laboratories, along with procurement of equipment necessary for testing and training of screening technicians.

Meru County, one of Kenya's 47 counties, is the most populous county in the Eastern Province of Kenya with approximately 1.35 million people. As the novel coronavirus infection spreads in Kenya, one issue in Meru County is the time required to receive screening results as samples must be sent across over 200 kilometers to the capital city of Nairobi for testing, a situation which is caused by a lack of equipment, facilities and technicians necessary for screening of the novel coronavirus. It is expected that support for this effort will contribute largely to the formation of accurate and rapid understanding of the infection situation as well as strategy that is based on that understanding by construction of PCR testing in Meru County.

Eisai has committed the equivalent of 1 million USD in aid over the span of 1 year in order to support the controlling of the spread of the novel coronavirus infection in Africa, along with prevention of delays of elimination activities for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). As part of this support, Eisai has begun provision of Personal Protection Equipment (masks, goggles, face shields, etc.) to core hospitals in Africa for research of and countermeasures against infectious diseases, as well as masks and sanitizer for the resuming of mass drug administrations in Kenya for the elimination of NTDs. In addition, Eisai is supporting Amref Health Africa in the development and popularization of its mobile health platform LEAP for healthcare workers in sub-Saharan countries.

Through this support, including the new support for Connect Afya, Eisai will continue in its contribution to mitigating the spread of the novel coronavirus infection in Kenya and other African countries.