All posts by Segun Adesina

END7 Infographic: How NTD Donations Help Endemic Communities Worldwide

END7

 

We here at END7 are always exploring innovative ways to raise awareness about neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and to show how donations made to END7 help NTD endemic communities worldwide.  In our featured infographic below, we used the visual elements of comics to create a simple infographic that showcases the impact of generous donations made to END7 to support NTD treatment programs.

donation impact 9 11 14 High-Res RGB

It’s safe to say that we’ve all read a few comic books or comic strips in our lifetime. Whether you’ve read comics as a child or still read them today, comics are continually used to effectively illustrate stories and ideas in ways that quickly capture attention. The visual medium of comics combines text and visual images together to simplify complex information and to communicate it in a visually dynamic manner.

In the image above, our aspiring doctor and NTD advocate, “Joy”, explains how 1 in 6 people (approximately 1.4 billion people) are infected with NTDs. She also explains step-by-step how a 50 cent donation helps protect people worldwide from the seven most common NTDs. The pills to treat the most common NTDs are donated by pharmaceutical companies. 100 percent of donations given to END7 support NTD treatment programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, the regions with the largest NTD burdens.

As you can see, a donation for as little as 50 cents stretches a long way towards helping communities suffering from NTDs!

To learn more about NTDs and how you can help end 7 diseases by 2020, visit www.end7.org. Help us show more people how they can help prevent NTDs around the world by sharing this creative infographic with your friends, family, and peers!

Haiti’s National Program for the Elimination of Lympathic Filariasis Prevails Despite Adversity

Haiti, Latin America and the Caribbean, lymphatic filariasis, , ,

 

Photo by Olivier Asselin

Photo by Olivier Asselin

Haiti has made remarkable progress against lymphatic filariasis (LF), a disfiguring and stigmatizing neglected tropical disease (NTD), despite facing many challenges. A recently published PLOS NTDs editorial highlights the perseverance and support displayed by the Haitian government and development partners, resulting in scaled-up mass drug administration (MDA) across the country, integrated programs with soil-transmitted helminths (also known as intestinal worms) and increased morbidity management. With these successes, the Haitian effort to eliminate LF can certainly be a model for other countries.

The Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) established the National Program to Eliminate LF (NPELF) in 2000 to stop LF transmission and reduce the suffering of infected people. Key partners include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CBM, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Abbott Foundation, PepsiCo, Frank Eck Family Foundation and others.

In the first MDA, conducted in Léogâne in 2000, the NPELF and local partners trained community leaders and health volunteers on medicine distribution techniques and educated them about LF treatment, transmission and prevention. Social mobilization was another integral component, spreading messages by banners, posters, radio and megaphones to increase the number of people participating in MDA.

Efforts then focused on scaling up the program to reach all people in need. However, over the course of many years, natural disasters and political and social unrest challenged expansion of the LF program. Just some examples include random acts of violence, devastating hurricanes and flooding, an earthquake and a vicious cholera outbreak.

Yet, increased advocacy, new funding and reinvigorated planning provided the necessary boosts to scale up and achieve results. One of the meetings that jumpstarted new progress was organized by the Global Network, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and IDB. As the PLOS NTDs paper explains, “The partners affirmed their support for NTD control and elimination of LF, and the donor community responded. With new funding for MDA in Port-au-Prince from CDC and others, Haiti was finally poised for the first time to achieve full coverage of the entire country with MDA, with a population in excess of 10 million.”

Now, Haiti has achieved full national coverage, and it must strive for interrupted LF transmission. With strong partnerships and continued political commitment, this milestone is in Haiti’s grasp.

To read the full paper, “Haiti National Program for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis — A Model of Success in the Face of Adversity,” click here.

2014 FIFA World Cup Round of 16: Celebrating World Cup Teams Fighting NTDs

Africa, Asia, END7, Latin America and the Caribbean, NTDs

 

For one month, countries around the world are gathering to watch arguably the greatest sporting event in the world—the World Cup. Every four years, people from around the world come together to celebrate this epic event that transcends political turmoil, and even wars and conflict. In this time of celebration, we’re taking the time to recognize the World Cup teams advancing to the prestigious Round of 16! In particular, we’re highlighting the progress their countries have made in controlling and eliminating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

Brazil

brazilThe hosting nation of Brazil is being tagged as the favorite to win it all. If they do, the Brazilian National Soccer team would have a mind-blowing six World Cup trophies! While Brazil is famous for its passion and love for soccer, Brazil is also gaining public health recognition by taking concrete steps towards eliminating NTDs in their country.  In Brazil, nearly 6.8 million people are infected with schistosomiasis and millions are at risk for other common NTDs. To address this problem, Brazil has launched an integrated National Plan of Action for NTDs to combat all seven of the most common NTDs. Last year, the Brazilian Ministry of Health led a campaign to diagnose and treat leprosy and intestinal worms in 9.2 million public schools.

argentinaArgentina

With Argentina having arguably the best player in the world, Lionel Messi, the country’s hopes of winning the World Cup are high. Over the last four years, Argentina made tremendous progress towards preventing NTDs such as Chagas disease and intestinal parasites in at risk populations. In 2011, the Government of Argentina launched the National Institute for Tropical Medicine in an effort to advance NTD research and finding new solutions for lowering the prevalence of NTDs in at risk regions in Argentina.

colombiaColombia

The Colombian National Soccer team had been M.I.A. (missing in action) in World Cup action for the past 15 years. This year, Los Cafeteros has ended its long hiatus and is finally back on the World Cup stage. While the national team was working hard towards getting to this year’s World Cup, their country was busy accomplishing major NTD elimination goals. In 2011, Colombia became the first country in the Latin America region to eliminate onchocerciasis—a great milestone for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Nigeria

nigeriaNigeria’s Supereagles has always had high expectations when entering the World Cup—and rightfully so. The Nigerian National Soccer Team is one of the very few African teams that has ever reached the second round of the knockout stage (Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Morocco are the only other teams). Nigeria is known for meeting expectations when it comes to controlling NTDs. This year, Nigeria achieved a major milestone in its fight against NTDs by launching Africa’s first integrated malaria and lymphatic filariasis (LF) elimination plan. Nigeria’s Ministry of Health has also reached 96 percent of communities with onchocerciasis mass drug administrations and is currently scaling up school-based deworming campaigns.

mexicoMexico

Mexico’s prized forward—Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez from Manchester United—hopes to transform the Mexican National Soccer Team into a serious contender in this year’s World Cup. Mexico has also taken serious strides in preventing NTDs by nearly eliminating onchocerciaisis and trachoma in their country. In 2011, Mexico launched a campaign to treat the last trachoma endemic state—Chiapas. Soon, Mexico hopes to become one of four countries in the region to eliminate trachoma.

costa ricaCosta Rica

In 1990, Costa Rica shocked the world by advancing into the knockout stage. This year, Costa Rica has surprised the world again by advancing into the Round of 16! Costa Rica has already put the global health world on notice by working to receive a certification by the World Health Organization (WHO) stating that they’ve successfully stopped transmission of lymphatic filariasis (LF).

On behalf of END7, we’d like to thank these countries on their continued effort towards eliminating NTDs and wish them the best of luck in this year’s World Cup!

Strengthening Supply Chains for NTDs through Partnerships

london declaration, pharmaceuticals

 

Have you ever been curious about how the medicine to treat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) reaches communities across the world? A new from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) explains how establishing key partnerships and implementing evidence-based supply chain methods enables us to prevent and treat those that are suffering from NTDs across the globe.

Through the 2012 London Declaration on NTDs, pharmaceutical companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and donor and endemic governments dedicated themselves towards scaling up drug supply to over a billion people suffering from NTDs. In 2013, 1.35 billion low-cost treatments for NTDs were donated to more than 70 endemic countries worldwide.

To build upon the successes realized over the past two years and to meet the NTD control and elimination goals by 2020, new approaches on the methodology of supply chain management for NTDs are needed. To answer this challenge, pharmaceutical industries, NGOs and supply chain experts formed the NTD Supply Chain Forum. The team includes pharmaceutical companies (GSK, Pfizer, Eisai, Merck Serono, J&J, Merck & Co., Inc), NGOs (Children Without Worms, International Trachoma Initiative  Mectizan Donation Program), DHL, JSI, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Their goal is to simplify complex logistical, manufacturing, and personnel challenges to streamline the high number of drugs being distributed to rural villages, schools, and clinics in need of NTD treatments.

Already through this partnership, 809 million treatments were donated for lymphatic filariasis, 115 million treatments for onchocerciasis, 276 million treatments for soil transmitted helminthes, 52 million treatments schistosomiasis and 51 million treatments for trachoma.

We encourage you to watch GSK’s video on . For more information about the supply chain progress that is being made for NTDs, please read the Supply Chain section of the recent 2013-2014 report on Delivering on Promises & Driving Progress: The Second Report on Uniting to Combat NTDs.