Field Study/Trial

James Ransom of IFETP in the U.S. will promote detection and treatment of five neglected tropical diseases in South Sudan by exploiting and further developing an existing health infrastructure that has successfully reduced the incidence of guinea worm disease. They will target two regions with particularly high incidences of the targeted diseases, and train the local health surveillance officers on preventative methods and to provide comprehensive care and treatment. They will also work to educate the public and media about these diseases.

Mwelecele Malecela of the National Institute for Medical Research in the United Republic of Tanzania will integrate the treatment of neglected tropical diseases with water, hygiene and sanitation programs to lower costs and maximize the use of resources. They will extend and develop local health infrastructures by generating income for community health workers, and involve people at all community levels in the project. In this way, they aim to provide a unified platform for managing and executing diverse projects related to the treatment of diseases to increase their long-term success.

Jane Whitton of Schistosomiasis Control Initiative in the United Kingdom will test whether grouping treatments for three neglected tropical diseases alongside motivating people to come for the treatments by offering incentives such as free shoes or free school meals can increase coverage and better reduce disease incidence. Current treatment campaigns for different diseases run in parallel, requiring multiple clinic visits, which is inconvenient.

Felix Lankester of Washington State University in the U.S. will determine whether integrating a mass drug administration campaign targeting soil-transmitted helminth infections with a mass dog rabies vaccination campaign reduces costs and extends treatment coverage for these diseases, which are endemic in Tanzania. Collaborators include: Safari Kinunghi - National Institute of Medical Research, Tanzania, Sarah Cleaveland - University of Glasgow and Deborah Watson Jones - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Glenn Morris of the University of Florida in the U.S. will evaluate different strategies for integrating three national disease elimination programs against lymphatic filariasis, malaria and cholera, which are currently being run in parallel in Haiti. These campaigns involve improving water, sanitation and hygiene, and providing insecticide-treated bed nets. They are funded and coordinated by different departments and each target a specific disease. Integrating them could improve their effectiveness and reduce associated costs.

Louis-Albert Tchuem Tchuente of the Centre for Schistosomiasis and Parasitology in Cameroon will work to eliminate one species of the parasitic flatworm Schistosoma that causes severe disease in certain regions of Cameroon. They will intensify current school-based mass drug administration efforts in the Litteral region to increase treatment coverage to individuals of all ages.

Hussein Abdullahi of Wajir County Government in Kenya will combine a mass drug administration effort to treat soil-transmitted helminth (parasitic worm) infections in Wajir County with a survey of the number of cases of visceral leishmaniasis, which is transmitted by sand flies. Visceral leishmaniasis can be lethal and has recently become endemic in this poor Kenyan county, but the actual disease burden is unknown.

Miriam Laufer of the University Maryland in the U.S. will boost malaria treatment and control in Malawi by linking it with a school-based mass drug administration program for other neglected tropical diseases, and improve uptake by engaging school children to reach those not attending school. School-aged children carry one of the highest burdens of malaria infection so disease campaigns should also directly target schools. However, there is a high frequency of school absence in Malawi.

Jessa Gitaka of Mount Kenya University in Kenya will work to integrate surveillance and control of three diseases - malaria, schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths - in five Lake Victoria islands where these diseases are highly prevalent. This should improve cost-effectiveness and promote greater participation. They have already established facilities and systems to semi-annually survey malaria in the region, which includes a 30-person motorboat to access the islands, a parasitology laboratory and trained personnel.

Corinne Maurice of McGill University in Canada will use an ecological approach to determine whether bacteriophage (phage), which are viruses that infect bacteria, could be used to restore healthy microbial communities in the gut and thereby reduce stunting in children. They will collect stool samples from infants under two years old from Bangladesh, and compare the types of phage and bacteria found in stunted versus healthy children.