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| Zumla |
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| Receiving an award from Zambia's former president Kenneth Kaunda for outstanding academic performance |
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| A five-year-old Zumla with parents |
By VICTOR KALALANDA, September 5, 2020
When
the grey-haired but vivacious Sir Prof Alimuddin Zumla is in his element, pensive
and bespectacled, poring through the latest literature in his field of study, a
half-hearted look at him could be deceptive.
Although
he likes to merge into the background, this is a global health and infectious
diseases scholar of worldwide acclaim, who almost died of TB as a young doctor
but now plays leading roles in its eradication, adding colour to a story that began in the upland town of Fort
Jameson, now Chipata—where he
was born to a philanthropic and community-oriented couple.
When
he was born, on May 15, 1955, there was no knowing that the child of Haji
Ismail and Hajiani Aman Zumla would numerously be awarded for his work as an
international health professor, including being honoured with a Knighthood by
Her Majesty the Queen.
Just
this year on August 18, he received his 26th award in the form of the
Mahathir Science Award (MSA), which is the most prestigious international award
for tropical sciences, recognising his distinguished career as a Zambian
scientist who helps improve global health, especially for disadvantaged
populations, through multi-country collaborative research and by leading training
programmes on TB and HIV/AIDS.
In
fact, he is currently the world’s top infectious diseases expert and makes the
list for leading authorities in the ongoing fight against Covid-19, with his
work emphasising that Covid-19 responses are important but must not turn into a
public health disaster by undermining current services for TB, HIV, malaria and
maternal and child health.
Besides,
he has been a leading advocate for the restoration of hope instead of
deliberately fanning media hype over the coronavirus around the world.
Perhaps
his greatest asset growing up was his unassuming but extraordinary intellect,
which would be guided by the values of altruism and community service, as
espoused in the relatively well-to-do Zumla home.
[My
parents] focus was on looking after the poor and disadvantaged in the
community. Never a harsh word, always loving and a smile, gave to others even
when they themselves were once poor, with the firm belief that being charitable
to those in need is everyone’s obligation. Their values were love thy neighbour
and look after every human being since they’re all God’s creation.
Every
time I get an award, literally thousands of people still contact me, saying how
they remember my parents and give examples of how kindly they were treated or
helped by them—even local doctors at
UTH like Prof Sri Babu, Dr Peter Mwaba, Dr Nathan Kapata and others. Thus my
work is my parents’ kind of legacy, he narrates.
For his early education he attended Lotus Primary
School and later went to Kamwala Secondary—then known as Prince Philip—he took
his GCSE ‘O’ Levels a year earlier then his classmates and obtained distinctions
in all subjects, becoming the youngest person to enter the University of Zambia.
Interestingly, he passed up the prestigious Rhodes
Scholarship in preference for a local education at UNZA, with the personal view
and conviction that training in Zambia would give him direct insights into
important killer infectious diseases, which would be his chosen area of
specialisation.
While at UNZA, the young Zumla displayed rare
medical genius, accomplishing legendary academic feats, with prizes awarded by
former president Dr Kenneth Kaunda for Chemistry and Biology in 1972, and went
on to obtain his BSc with distinction after excelling in all clinical subjects.
It was in 1982, two years after leaving Zambia and
obtaining his MSc in tropical medicine with distinction at the University of
London, that Prof Zumla unfortunately contracted near-fatal TB meningitis, and he
was told that he would forever lose his ability to walk normally again.
In miraculous fashion, however, he went on to make
an unbelievable recovery, whereupon he started building what would be a stellar
career despite the disabling and painful neurological sequelae resulting from
his meningitis.
He proceeded to complete his doctoral studies on
leprosy human monoclonal antibodies, which culminated in a thesis that won him
the Alan Woodruff Medal, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
He went on to earn accreditation as a physician in
the UK, working as infectious diseases registrar and also as honorary lecturer
in different institutions., and becoming a specialist in infectious diseases
and clinical immunology
While working at Rush Green Hospital, he become a
national hero when he identified and notified the first cases of the 1988
Legionnaires' Diseases outbreak, which he traced back to Broadcasting House,
BBC, central London.
He
returned to his home country Zambia to work on AIDS-related opportunistic
infections at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka before
moving to University College London in 1994, where he works to this
day as a “British Zambian professor” specialising in infectious and tropical
diseases, clinical immunology, and internal medicine, with a special
interest in HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections with pandemic potential,
and diseases of poverty.
In
his over 40 years of medical research and practice, his belief has been that “everyone
should hold hands together and move forward in the fight against killer
infectious diseases," and this has seen him author more than 600 research
publications, including writing and/or editing 22 medical textbooks, some of
which are globally acknowledged classics.
As
a TB survivor himself, the father of three draws upon his former patient
experience and extensive scientific expertise to offer solutions in drug trials
and in the development of sound global health policies which benefit patients
worldwide through bodies like the World Health Organisation.
A
team worker and results-oriented leader, Prof Zumla has established north–south
partnerships for TB research, with collaborations now spanning five countries
in Europe and 10 in sub-Saharan Africa, where he leads several multi-country
research projects.
Back
in Zambia, he maintains strong links with his former alma mater through his
role as director of the University of Zambia-University College London Medical
School Research and Training Programme, which has grown into a world-leading
medical research partnership.
In
October 2012, his outstanding efforts in helping fight infectious diseases like
TB through capacity building and collaborative research in Zambia and Africa
earned him the highest Zambian civilian award, namely The Grand Commander of
the Order of Distinguished Services First Division, bestowed on him by
late president Michael Sata.
Recently,
not only did Zumla earn the famous title “Sir” after being knighted by Her
Majesty the Queen for his exceptional services to public health in the UK as
his second home, but he also received the coveted Union Medal, which is awarded
to members who have made an outstanding contribution to the control of TB or
lung health by their scientific work and/or actions in the field.
And
as the Mahathir Science Award Foundation presented their 2020 award to Prof
Zumla this month, they wrote:
[He] was selected as the recipient of this award
on the basis of his illustrious career in infectious diseases and tropical
medicine. He established and directs a multi-continent collaboration with
several African, Middle Eastern, European and American institutions on
collaborative research aligned closely to capacity development and training
programs and his research has truly had major impact beyond academia.
We
are really proud of him as management because the excellent quality of his
research and service goes to show that he received rigorous training from our
university as a foundation for his celebrated medical career. He is an
ambassador not only for UNZA but also Zambia, and we hope all of our students
can emulate him, says UNZA Acting Vice-Chancellor, Dr Tamala Tonga-Kambikambi.
As
a coronavirologist as well, living at a time when one of the worst global
pandemics is ravaging public life, Prof Zumla is helping support countries across
Africa, including Zambia, with resource mobilisation, clinical trials and
genomics in relation to Covid-19.
By
all standards, Prof Sir Zumla’s career boasts of a global footprint, and it is
exciting that he is extremely active and alive at a time when his expertise in
infectious diseases can help in improving global health security by building
Africa’s research and training capacity to fight not only HIV/AIDS and TB, but
also the current bane of the world—Covid-19.
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