Rabies death in an adolescent tribal girl diagnosed postmortem, in Kerala – the precious life, preventable loss and equity concerns.
Background Rabies is a neglected tropical disease endemic in 150 countries, including India where it is present in all states and union territories except Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lakshadweep. Kerala reports high incidence of animal bites. This article discusses the preventable death of a 17-year-old tribal girl due to rabies in Kerala and the equity […]
Comparison of metrics for assessing face washing behaviour for trachoma control.
There is currently no single, easy-to-use, reliable indicator to assess whether a face has been washed with soap in the context of trachoma elimination. This study aimed to compare survey report, script-based pictorial recall and facial cleanliness indicators as alternatives to structured observation for measuring face washing behaviour. This method validation study was nested in […]
Exploring barriers to accessing treatment for Lymphatic Filariasis through a socio-ecological lens in Buvuma and Napak districts, Uganda.
Background The World Health Organization launched the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis in 2000, which aimed at eradicating the disease by 2030. This goal depends on community mass drug administration and essential care. Despite these efforts, many rural communities still face untreated lymphatic filariasis and lack access to treatment and self-management. Using a socioecological […]
Participatory development of a community mental wellbeing support package for people affected by skin neglected tropical diseases in the Kasai province, Democratic Republic of Congo
Background Skin neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) produce signs and symptoms that are often physically challenging, stigmatizing and have a negative impact on the mental wellbeing of people affected. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), little is known about the mental wellbeing experiences of people affected by skin NTDs and support is lacking. We collaborated […]
Neglected tropical disease meets neglected community: Street children’s susceptibility to scabies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Scabies is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) with high prevalence rate in resource-limited settings. Though street children are susceptible because of lack of sanitation and contact with vectors, few attempts have been made to identify the lived experience of street children with scabies in the global south. This study explored perceived susceptibility to scabies and […]
Modelling the cost of engage & treat and test & treat strategies towards the elimination of lymphatic filariasis in Ghana
Background Despite several years of LF-MDA implementation, Ghana still has some districts with mf prevalence >1%, partly due to poor treatment coverage levels resulting from non-participation in MDA. To address the challenges, we implemented Engage & Treat (E&T) and Test & Treat (T&T) strategies for individuals who miss or refuse MDA respectively, in a hotspot […]
The role of community participation for sustainable integrated neglected tropical diseases and water, sanitation and hygiene intervention programs: A pilot project in Tanzania
Strategies aimed at reducing the prevalence of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Tanzania including those attributed to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) problems have been largely top-down in nature. They have focused on strengthening the governance of NTD-WASH programs by integrating different vertical disease programs and improving the efficiency of report-generation. In this paper, we […]
Knowledge, attitudes and practices with regard to schistosomiasis prevention and control: Two cross-sectional household surveys before and after a Community Dialogue intervention in Nampula province, Mozambique
Background: The Community Dialogue Approach is a promising social and behaviour change intervention, which has shown potential for improving health seeking behaviour. To test if this approach can strengthen prevention and control of schistosomiasis at community level, Malaria Consortium implemented a Community Dialogue intervention in four districts of Nampula province, Mozambique, between August 2014 and […]
Home improvement and system-based health promotion for sustainable prevention of Chagas disease: A qualitative study
Background: Human transmission of Chagas disease (CD) most commonly occurs in domiciliary spaces where triatomines remain hidden to feed on blood sources during inhabitants’ sleep. Similar to other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), sustainable control of CD requires attention to the structural conditions of life of populations at risk, in this case, the conditions of their […]
“Buruli ulcer and leprosy, they are intertwined”: Patient experiences of integrated case management of skin neglected tropical diseases in Liberia
Background: Skin neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as Buruli ulcer (BU) and leprosy produce significant stigma and disability. Shared clinical presentations and needs for care present opportunities for integrated case management in co-endemic areas. As global policies are translated into local integrated services, there remains a need to monitor what new configurations of care emerge […]
