Posts Tagged ‘onchocerciasis’
NTD Enlightenment: Onchocerciasis
March 21st, 2011Success in the fight against NTDs in Zamfara, Nigeria
February 10th, 2011By: Marthe Damina, Project Officer with Sightsavers
This week, my colleagues in the United Kingdom will present Sightsavers’ initial findings of a pilot neglected tropical diseases (NTD) project that I worked on in Nigeria, to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and NTDs. The pilot programme in Zamfara State is groundbreaking for Sightsavers and for the area.
Groundbreaking for us – as it’s the first time Sightsavers has invested in treating NTDs outside of the blinding onchocerciasis (oncho) and trachoma, which we’ve been supporting the control of in the area since 1996 and 2003 respectively.
Groundbreaking for Zamfara – because it’s the first time that state-wide NTD prevalence mapping has taken place in Nigeria. The mapping of three of the top five NTDs showed a prevalence range of 8.8% to 48.1% for schistosomiasis (schisto), 8.8% to 18.5% for soil transmitted helminths (STH) and 6% to 22% for lymphatic filariasis (LF). These diseases have serious implications for childhood growth, intellectual development, educational outcomes and productivity.
» Read more: Success in the fight against NTDs in Zamfara, Nigeria
Remembering Dr. Rene Le Berre
December 20th, 2010Recently, the world of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) lost an amazing doctor who dedicated much of his life to saving millions from river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis. Dr. Rene Le Berre died December 6, 2010 due to cardiovascular disease complicated by diabetes. In the 1960s, Dr. Le Berre proposed spraying insecticide on breeding sites of black-flies, the vector for transmitting river blindness. Dr. Rene Le Berre will be sorely missed, however, he is remembered by his great accomplishments in public health. Read more about the life of Dr. Le Berre and river blindness here.
Reading List 12/14/2010
December 14th, 2010Happy Tuesday readers! We have a great list of reads today about NTDs and global health. Today we’re reading about African health ministers’ support of the African Program for onchocerciasis, a new program for onchocerciasis funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and new technologies for neglected issues in global health.
Development partners reaffirm commitment to eliminate River blindness from Africa, Afrique en Ligne
New search for onchocerciasis treatments, Paul Chinnock, TropIKA
Studies detail triumphs, troubles of African innovators creating products for local health needs, Physorg
