By: 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.

So faced with the mapping results, Sightsavers implemented a pilot Mass Drug Administration (MDA) using the Community Directed Intervention (CDI) strategy for the control of LF, schisto and trachoma in 12 LGAs of Zamfara State. Although analysis is still underway, initial results indicate that the pilot was a success. Zamfara is now more likely to achieve elimination of transmission of oncho by 2012/13 (in oncho only areas) and the impact of the treatment was seen quickly, but in a low-cost sustainable programme. Key to its success was the involvement of community members, volunteers, health workers and teachers in helping to plan and distribute the treatments. Our collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, Department of Biological Science Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Zamfara State partners was also important.

Building on our experience in Nigeria, Sightsavers is now developing pilot programmes to combine NTD work with malaria prevention – an incredible step forward for a development organisation which until recently focused primarily on eye health and visual impairment. It is also potentially a way to move away from the division between the ‘big three’ (Malaria, TB and HIV/Aids) and the NTDs.

So, back to my colleagues in the UK who’ll present our findings to MPs this week. The UK Government is one of the biggest supporters of NTD programmes worldwide, with a commitment of £50m (approximately $68.2 million). With the presentation to the APPG, Sightsavers hopes to demonstrate what can be achieved in a short time with an integrated approach, and the importance of strong partnerships in implementation of NTD programmes. By integrating treatment and working practices, the impact of that £50m investment could go so much further, and change the lives of many more people in Africa.

Marthe Damina is a Project Officer with Sightsavers Nigeria Country Office. She oversees Zamfara State Neglected Tropical Diseases Control Programme in the state, which is run by the State and supported by Sightsavers.