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CSU 13/2009: READER FEEDBACK/ ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF DEWORMING / NTD FUNDING/ READER FEEDBACK

Saturday, 27th of March 2010

CSU 13/2009: READER FEEDBACK/ ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF  DEWORMING / NTD FUNDING/  READER FEEDBACK
 
 As a WHO logistics officer and acting team leader in the Eastern DRC in
 1999 and 2000, I had the opportunity of working with Ellyn Ogden during one
 of her visits to the region. We went to the most remote areas of Ituri in
 order to ensure that potent vaccines are used for vaccination no matter how
 far from Goma.
 
 Ellyn took interest in all partners. We visited a handicapped man that
 volunteered his refrigerator to keep the vaccines at required temperature.
 She visited in the hospital a vaccinator who was shot by a rebel soldier.
 Her words of comfort were quite welcome.
 
 Well done, Ellyn. It was great working with you.
 
 Emmanuel
 
 
 Emmanuel TAYLOR Ph.D / JSI. USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
 Resident Logistics Advisor - Liberia
 +231 (0) 6 889 680
 
 1) ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF DEWORMING
 
 Readers of these updates are familiar with the benefits of yearly or, more
 often, twice yearly administration of broad spectrum antihelminthics like
 albendazole and mebendazole, which kill most of the commonest intestinal
 worms of preschool children. These are commonly given during Child Health
 Days, at the same time as vitamin A and, increasingly, long life bednets
 for malaria endemic areas.
 
 
 
 In a recent PowerPoint, Antonio Montresor, of WHO HQ, has set forth much of
 the scientific justification for deworming, Note especially the slides by
 Noke and Mahalanabis. Apologies to all for this truncated version; the 10
 MB original, with photos and graphics, would have been too large for many
 recipients.
 
 More information is at
 http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/preventive_chemotherapy/pctnewsletter/en/index.html
 
 A word to the wise: do NOT organize schisto prevention days, using
 praziquantel, before or during Child Health Days. It is impossible to avoid
 confusion in the public mind between praziquantel on the one hand and
 albendazole/mebendazole on the other. Finish the Child Health Days, then do
 schisto prevention afterwards.
 
 
 2) FUNDING FOR NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
 
 Writing in PLOS/NTD, at
 http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-ocument&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000030
 Mary Moran and colleagues review funding levels for research on neglected
 tropical diseases, broadly defined.
 
 In 2007, just over $2.5 billion was spent on R&D of new neglected tropical
 disease products; however, about 80 percent of this total was spent on the
 'big three,' AIDS/TB/malaria. This left not much left over for the dozen or
 so less high profile diseases supported by, among others, WHO's NTD
 programme.
 
 
 Good reading.
 
 BD