World Health Organization : Year 2000 ; The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases Ide Rp Cdti 00.2: Community-Directed Treatment of Lymphatic Filariasis in Africa

By John Gyapong

Book Id: WPLBN0000167174
Format Type: PDF eBook
File Size: 0.7 MB
Reproduction Date: 2005

Title:	World Health Organization : Year 2000 ; The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases Ide Rp Cdti 00.2: Community-Directed Treatment of Lymphatic Filariasis in Africa
Author:	John Gyapong
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Health., Public health, Wellness programs
Collections:	Medical Library Collection, World Health Collection
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	World Health Organization


Citation APA MLA Chicago Gyapong, J. (n.d.). World Health Organization : Year 2000 ; The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases Ide Rp Cdti 00.2. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.cc/

Description
Medical Reference Publication

Excerpt
INTRODUCTION Lymphatic filariasis is an important public health and socio-economic problem affecting over 120 million people worldwide. Although there have been some significant successes in the control of the disease, in most endemic countries the burden of lymphatic filariasis remains unaffected, or is even on the increase.However, the introduction in recent years of new drugs and single-dose treatment regimens with diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and/or ivermectin has been an important breakthrough for filariasis control. In 1997 the World Health Assembly passed a resolution calling for ‘…..the elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem…’’. The global control strategy for lymphatic filariasis has been redefined, and the principal strategy is now based on annual, single-dose treatment of all eligible members of endemic communities. The principal challenge for filariasis elimination is to deliver treatment to the populations of endemic communities, and to sustain annual delivery and a high treatment coverage for a sufficiently long period to bring about the elimination of the disease. In most endemic countries in Africa, sustained drug delivery to all affected communities is difficult to achieve by the health services alone, either because they are overburdened with other responsibilities and short of resources, or because of lack of active participation of the population with the official treatment programme. Recent research on drug delivery for another disease, onchocerciasis, indicates that greater involvement of the endemic communities in the delivery process may be a solution. TDR has developed the concept of community-directed treatment, in which the community itself has the responsibility for the organisation and execution of the treatment of its members. A large, multi-country study has shown that community-directed treatment is feasible and effective in onchocerciasis control, and it is now the basis for the control strategy of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control and the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa.

Table of Contents
CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 STUDY DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY Purpose of the study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Overall study designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Study Units and Sampling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 STUDY AREAS AND HEALTH SYSTEMS Study areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Health and political structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Situation analysis of the health system, the communities and their interaction . . . . . . . . . . 14 Main findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 DESCRIPTION OF THE TWO DRUG DELIVERY METHODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Mass-treatment by the Health Care System (HST) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Community-Directed Treatment through the Health Care System (ComDT/HS) . . . . . . . . 20 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TWO DRUG DELIVERY METHODS Mass-treatment by the Health Care System (HST) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Community-Directed Treatment through the Health Care System (ComDT/HS) . . . . . . . . 25