NEWS: New Tool Allows Integrated Mapping of Neglected Tropical Diseases

27 October 2009
London, 27 October 2009: Research undertaken by Malaria Consortium and published today in the high profile journal Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Diseases, shows it is possible to survey major tropical diseases simultaneously,  thereby effectively reducing the time and money required to identify and treat areas of greatest burden.

The research is highlighted in a publication titled Integrated mapping of neglected tropical diseases: epidemiological findings and control implications for Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal State, Southern Sudan.

Information on where neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are endemic and to what extent they overlap is crucial if they are to be effectively controlled in Southern Sudan. This information would usually be captured through stand-alone surveys that can be labour-intensive and expensive.

The research, undertaken on behalf of the government of Southern Sudan, combined survey methodologies for NTDs for lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminth infections and studies conducted across Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal State to establish which communities require mass drug treatment. Under this approach, treatments for multiple diseases can later be administered through the same delivery structure at around the same time.

This was the first attempt to use an integrated survey design for this group of infections and to generate detailed results to guide their control over a large area of Southern Sudan. The results show that only a few areas need to be targeted with mass treatment, thus confirming the importance of detailed mapping for cost-effective control.

These valuable research results should translate into rapid scale up of the number of communities treated for chronic and debilitating NTDs.  Said co-author of the report, Dr Jan Kolaczinski of Malaria Consortium: “We now have an efficient tool to rapidly map the rest of Southern Sudan – let’s get on with the job.”

Completion of NTD mapping in the rest of the country is planned for 2010.

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To access the full report, please click on the link:

Integrated mapping of neglected tropical diseases: epidemiological findings and control implications for Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal State, Southern Sudan

Authors
Hugh J.W. Sturrock, Diana Picon, Anthony Sabasio, David Oguttu, Emily Robinson, Mounir Lado, John Rumunu, Simon Brooker, Jan H. Kolaczinski

For more information, please contact Diana Thomas: [email protected]