Working Together for Our Health: Community Mobilization Against NTDs in Yemen

Hesham Al-Mekhlafi of the University of Malaya in Malaysia in collaboration with Azal University for Human Development in Yemen will recruit and train youths and young researchers from rural areas in Yemen to teach their communities about preventing and treating specific enteric diseases. Although effective drugs exist for treating intestinal parasitic diseases such as soil-transmitted helminthiasis, many remain endemic in Yemen, particularly in rural populations where knowledge and attitudes towards these diseases are poor. They will select four communities and meet with local leaders to garner support for their project and help raise awareness. The effect of their approach will be evaluated on the incidence and severity of infections.