Traditional healing and mycetoma management in East Sennar State (Sudan): a qualitative exploration
Background Mycetoma is a neglected tropical disease with significant physical, social, and economic consequences. In Sudan, biomedical services dominate health policy and funding, often marginalising coexisting traditional healing systems. Understanding the interplay between these parallel systems is essential for improving patient outcomes. Objective To explore the role of traditional healers in mycetoma management in Sudan, […]
Individual identities and stigma inequalities: insights from the experience of people affected by podoconiosis in Rwanda
Introduction Podoconiosis is a Skin Neglected Tropical Disease (SNTD) that affects impoverished individuals in tropical regions. While there is a substantial understanding of the stigma associated with podoconiosis, little is known about the podoconiosis-related stigma experience based on individual identities, such as gender, class, age, location and physical ability. Due to the power differentials associated […]
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 […]
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 […]
Using community-based participatory approaches to improve access to mass drug administration for trachoma elimination in a pastoral conflict area of Kenya
In Baringo County, Kenya, trachoma remains endemic despite repeated mass drug administration (MDA) efforts, with coverage in one of the wards consistently falling short of world health organization (WHO) targets. The disease is endemic in 12 out of the 47 counties in Kenya. Baringo county is a pastoral conflict, hard to reach area where eight […]
Assessment of the status of improved F&E trachoma control practices among children of agro-pastoralists in Southern Ethiopia: a mixed design survey using theory of triadic influences
Background: Ethiopia is one of the countries with heavy trachoma burdens states globally. More than 75 million people in Ethiopia live in the trachoma endemic zones. Most populations with neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) live in hard-to-reach residences because of landscape and socio-cultural variances. This survey assessed the status of improved Face hygiene and Environmental cleanliness […]
Knowledge, experiences, and practices of women affected by female genital schistosomiasis in rural Madagascar: A qualitative study on disease perception, health impairment and social impact
Background Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is a neglected manifestation of urogenital schistosomiasis caused by S. haematobium. The disease presents with symptoms such as pelvic pain, vaginal discharge and bleeding and menstruation disorders, and might lead to infertility and pregnancy complications. The perspectives of women with FGS have not been studied systematically. The aim of the […]
Gender differences in the perceived need for community-wide deworming: Formative qualitative research from the DeWorm3 study, India
Current soil-transmitted helminth (STH) programs target morbidity control with school-based deworming. Increasing interest in steering neglected tropical disease (NTD) programmes from morbidity control towards disease elimination has prompted evaluation of strategies that may interrupt transmission. The feasibility of interrupting transmission of STH with community-wide deworming is being tested in the ongoing DeWorm3 cluster randomized trial. […]
The Geshiyaro Project: a study protocol for developing a scalable model of interventions for moving towards the interruption of the transmission of soil-transmitted helminths and schistosome infections in the Wolaita zone of Ethiopia
Background National deworming programmes rely almost exclusively on mass drug administration (MDA) to children to control morbidity caused by these parasitic infections. The provision of other interventions, consisting of preventive chemotherapy at high population level coverage together with water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) and changes in risk behaviour, should enable sustainable control of soil-transmitted helminths […]
Synthesis of findings from the literature and a qualitative research study on the impacts of gender, disability, and ethnicity in Neglected Tropical Diseases programs
Introduction Act to End NTDs | West, a USAID-funded program that supports national governments to eliminate or control five neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in West Africa including trachoma, lymphatic filariasis (LF), onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis, conducted a gender and social inclusion analysis to determine how NTDs differentially impact various populations and how gender and […]