Monthly Archives: November 2012

Congratulations to Merck Serono for their 100 Millionth Donation!

NTDs

 

Yesterday, November 29, 2012, Merck Serono donated its 100 millionth tablet to the World Health Organization (WHO) to treat schistosomiasis.  Merck has Serono has been donating praziquantel to the WHO over the past five years, averaging 25 million tablets annually.

Next year, Merk Serono intends to increase their donations ten-folds, to 250 million a year.

Yesterday also marked the beginning of the praziquantel donation in Kenya, which currently reports the fifth highest prevalence of schistosomiasis in the world.  Today, more than 11 million Kenyans are in need of treatment.

Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia or “snail fever,” is a parasitic disease carried by fresh water snails infected with one of the five varieties of the parasite Schistosoma. Found predominantly in tropical and sub-tropical climates, schistosomiasis infects 207 million people in 74 countries worldwide, with a vast majority of the burden occurring in Africa. Schistosomiasis ranks second only to malaria as the most common parasitic disease.

According to the press release issued by Merck Serono, the Permanent Secretary of the Kenyan Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation said about the program “Merck Serono’s commitment not only helps infected children, but also strengthens our public health care system. That is because untreated patients often suffer from serious health consequences, which causes great deal of unnecessary suffering and lead to high costs.”

The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases applauds Merck Serono for their contribution in the fight to eliminated NTDs.

Read the full press release .

Leave a comment

Sevenly Shirts Are Back-But Just For One Day

NTDs

 

This past spring, Sevenly.org partnered with the END7 campaign and raised over $22,000. This was one of the most successful campaigns Sevenly featured this year, and the donations were used to treat and protect thousands of people from NTDs in Sierra Leone.

Sevenly designs and sells clothing to promote chosen charitable causes. This week, they are featuring the top selling charities, one a day for seven days, as part of their 7 Days of Christmas event!

Sevenly will once again feature END7 today for only 24 hours – from 1pm EDT on Friday, November 30 to 1pm EDT on Saturday, December 1. Our best selling “Love Starts Now” shirt will be available in limited edition colors.  It’s the perfect opportunity to do some holiday shopping for your friends and family, and $7 from each item sold will be donated to END7.

Even better, each $7 donation we receive from the sale of the first 1,000 shirts will be matched!  So, if it costs only $0.50 to treat one person for seven diseases each year, the donation from your T-shirt purchase will help to treat 28 people.  A holiday gift that has the power to change 28 lives – is there anything better than that?!

Leave a comment

Noteworthy Articles on NTDs this Week

NTDs

 

This week, three noteworthy articles on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) appeared in the Guardian and the Washington post. More and more, NTDs are pushing their way into the forefront of global health and development news. These three articles highlight the public and private efforts that are making this possible.

Preventing blindness in South Sudan

A slideshow featured on Monday in the Guardian  captures the Malaria Consortium’s Neglected Tropical Disease Programme trachoma treatment and prevention effors in large areas of South Sudan.  This project was funded by the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID).  The photographer, Jen Warren, depicts a rural community in South Sudan where these diseases are endemic, and the impact trachoma hason people’s daily lives. The slideshow highlights the great efforts put forward to both prevent and treat trachoma.

Global partners in fighting disease

In this Washington Post article, author William Foege discusses the influence the pharmaceutical industry has had on the fight to eliminate NTDs. He provides a brief historical background into the past 15 years of pharmaceutical engagement and treatment donations, giving rise to a new field known as pharmaco-philanthropy.

Putting neglected tropical diseases under spotlight

The Guardian’s Emilie Filou explored how NTDs have progressed on the global health agenda, including improved partnerships hygiene initiatives and the need for further interaction between the two.  She talks about the progress made since the London Declaration, and future plans to engage private donors in country.  Global Network director, Dr. Neeraj Mistry, is quoted in the article discussing the END7 campaign and the benefit of engaging celebrities and the general public in a field that has previously been extremely scientific.

 

Leave a comment

NTD Success Story: Guatemala Eliminates Onchocerciasis Transmission in Huehuetenango

Latin America and the Caribbean, Onchocerciasis, River blindness

Another battle in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) has been won in Guatemala, where onchocerciaisis transmission has been eliminated in Huehuetenango.

A recent article in the Journal of Parasitology Research evaluated onchocerciasis transmission in the department of Huehuetenango in western Guatemala after 22 rounds of mass drug administration (MDA) over 13 years. In 2007-2008, prevalence of infection was determined to be zero percent through eye examinations of residents, antibody detection in school children and parasite detection in black flies. Following the results of this evaluation, mass treatment was halted in 2009 and post treatment surveillance of parasite prevalence in black flies was conducted from 2009-2011. Infection remained at zero percent, validating that transmission had been eliminated in the area.

Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is caused by the parasite Onchocerca volvulus and is transmitted to humans by the bite of black flies. Infection with the parasite can produce nodules, inflammation, discoloration and itching of the skin, as well as lesions that can lead to blindness. Onchocerciasis is found in 37 countries across the world.

The Onchocerciasis Elimination Program of the Americas, or OEPA, was established in 1992 with the goal of supporting national programs in LAC countries to provide twice yearly MDA of ivermectin to a minimum of 85 percent of the eligible population at risk. The Guatemala Ministry of Public Health, with the assistance from OEPA, began MDA for onchocerciasis in 1996, and since 2002 has reached the targeted coverage of the eligible population through twice-yearly MDA. There were four endemic foci for onchocerciasis in Guatemala. Before this study, transmission in two of the four foci had already been declared eliminated. With this recent evidence of elimination in Huehuetenango and with post treatment surveillance being conducted in the fourth foci, Guatemala is well on its way to request the WHO certification of nation-wide elimination in 2015.

Leave a comment