Brazzaville, 10 December 2013 -- Countries in the WHO African Region are to benefit from a $15 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for scaling up and completing mapping for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in 2014.

The mapping exercise aims at identifying infected individuals and at-risk populations in need of intervention measures such as mass drug administration for targeted diseases like elephantiasis, bilharzia, river blindness, intestinal worms and blinding trachoma.

The project, entitled “Shrinking the Map for Lymphatic Filariasis and other NTDs” is to be implemented by the WHO Regional Office for Africa and the Task Force for Global Health. It envisages the completion of most of the required mapping by the end of 2014, which would enable the immediate commencement of mass drug administration with a view to preventing and interrupting the transmission of the targeted diseases.

“It is crucial that countries take full advantage of recent increased financial commitments and medicine donations from some governments, international agencies, the pharmaceutical industry and philanthropic organisations for NTD prevention, control and elimination by conducting accurate and up-to-date mapping of the diseases in order to help improve the precision and timeliness of decision-making”, says WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo. “Clearly defining the burden, distribution and location of these diseases is essential for developing targeted strategies to control them,” he added.

An innovative feature of the project is the use of new and more sensitive diagnostic tests, which will identify priority areas requiring mass drug administration, spot potential areas for co-implementation of control activities and track progress toward the control and elimination of NTDs. The projects also aims to shrink the timeline for decision making by supporting tools for rapid access to the data and the translation of knowledge into NTD programme actions in countries of the African region. 

Disease mapping -- a critical first step in understanding where at-risk populations live for appropriate geographic targeting of resources and cost-effective control -- is incomplete in the African Region. This limits the ability of countries to accelerate the elimination of elephantiasis and other NTDs, which would contribute to the achievement of the NTD 2020 goals – an initiative to eliminate and control neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by the end of the decade.

The completion of the project is expected to result in increased geographic coverage for NTD prevention and control; acceleration of regional elimination efforts to achieve 2020 goals; improved and accuracy in classifying the prevalence of elephantiasis and other NTDs; increased cost efficiency through safe and integrated mass drug administration, and huge savings through stopping unnecessary treatments and other interventions.
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For more information, please contact: 

Dr. Adiele Onyeze, +47-241-39161 ; Email: onyezea [at] afro.who.int 

Mr Samuel T. Ajibola  +47-241-39378;  E-mail: ajibolas [at] afro.who.int