Aklilu Lemma (; 18 September 1935 – 5 April 1997) was an Ethiopian pathobiologist. In 1989, he was awarded the

Right Livelihood Award The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob v ...

"for discovering and campaigning relentlessly for an affordable preventative against bilharzia."

Education

Lemma was educated at Addis Ababa University College and at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

in the U.S. where he obtained his D.Sc. in 1964. His dissertation was on sandfly-borne

leishmaniasis Leishmaniasis is a wide array of clinical manifestations caused by parasites of the trypanosome genus ''Leishmania''. It is generally spread through the bite of phlebotomine sandflies, ''Phlebotomus'' and ''Lutzomyia'', and occurs most freq ...

Career

Following his doctorate, Lemma returned to his home country, Ethiopia, where he obtained a position at the then

Haile Selassie I University Haile ( Ge'ez "the power of") may refer to: ;People with the given name Haile * Haile Selassie of Ethiopia (1892–1975), Emperor of Ethiopia * Haile Gerima (born 1946), Ethiopian filmmaker * Haile Gebrselassie (born 1973), Ethiopian distance runne ...

. He founded the Institute of Pathobiology, now known as the Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, and taught there until 1976, when he left it for a job in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. He served the UN in many capacities as a scientist, became the Deputy Director of

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

's International Child Development Centre, now known as UNICEF's Innocenti Research Centre and finally obtained a position in his alma mater,

. He made his most important scientific discovery very early in his career, in 1964, when he discovered a natural treatment to

schistosomiasis Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody s ...

, also known as snail fever disease or bilharzia, a debilitating disease caused by the parasitic worm ''

Schistosoma ''Schistosoma'' is a genus of trematodes, commonly known as blood flukes. They are parasitic flatworms responsible for a highly significant group of infections in humans termed '' schistosomiasis'', which is considered by the World Health Organ ...

,'' which is spread by

freshwater snails Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks which live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs ...

. He found that berries from the '' endod'' plant, which is commonly used to make soap and shampoos in many parts of Africa, is a potent, inexpensive and safe

molluscicide Molluscicides () – also known as snail baits, snail pellets, or slug pellets – are pesticides against molluscs, which are usually used in agriculture or gardening, in order to control gastropod pests specifically slugs and snails which damag ...

, to prevent the spread of the parasitic worm. This discovery made the plant an object of scientific research in many parts of the world. Lemma himself was at the forefront of this research. His work acquired an international reputation, which in turn led to various awards, including honorary doctorate degrees. The most prestigious award was the one he won together with his research associate, Dr.

Legesse Wolde-Yohannes Legesse Wolde-Yohannes is an Ethiopian horticultural scientist. He cooperated with Aklilu Lemma on the discovery and research on how to use the plant endod as a means of preventing the parasitic disease bilharzia Schistosomiasis, also known a ...

in November 1989 – the

of Sweden, commonly referred to as the Alternative Nobel Prize. He died in the United States on 5 April 1997 and was buried in Ethiopia, on 13 April.

Awards and distinctions

* Right Livelihood Award (1989)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemma, Aklilu 1935 births 1997 deaths Ethiopian biologists Addis Ababa University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Addis Ababa University faculty Johns Hopkins University faculty