Launch of Mass Drug Administration Campaign against Schistosomiasis and Soil-transmitted Helminths

Launch of Mass Drug Administration Campaign against Schistosomiasis and Soil-transmitted Helminths

The launch of the treatment campaign against schistosomiasis and STH in Mopti region was held on 18 May 2005 at the Groupe Scolaire Robert Cissé at Mopti. Representatives from the administrative and political authorities attended the event. Many of the local population were present. The launch was covered by regional media and was broadcast by national television and radio.

This day marks the implementation in this region of Mali of the MoH’s Action Plan against Schistosomiasis and STH, thanks to the support of the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI). This region is well known for the Pays Dogon, where beautiful small villages are situated along the Falaise de Bandiagara.

The objective

Following WHO recommendations, the objective of the campaign is to treat with praziquantel and albendazole at least 75% of school-age children and high-risk groups such as men and women professionally exposed to the risk of morbidity. However, the National Coordinator, Dr Robert Dembélé is confident that this 75% threshold will be exceeded.

Image: An official of the MoE administering drugs during the launch; Dr Robert Dembélé (in blue) is supervising

The framework

The mass treatment campaign was carried out in Mopti region immediately following the official launch. All villages where schistosomiasis is endemic were targeted. These were identified one by one by the MoH teams based at Cercle (equivalent to District) level, and communicated to the National Coordination team during a workshop held at regional level in April.

The target

The treatment focused primarily on all children aged 5 to 15, both school-enrolled and non-enrolled, living in schistosomiasis endemic areas.

However, in the Delta Interieur region, a huge wetland flooded by the River Niger every year, because the disease is a major public health problem there, the treatment was also offered to all people older than 15 years.

In total, more than 1 million individuals were targeted for treatment in six days.

The delivery and supervision

After training on how to deliver praziquantel and de-worming tablets, the mass treatment campaign was implemented by teachers through schools, health workers in health posts and community drug distributors as mobile teams in villages and communities.

Drug distribution activities were under the supervision of district-level and regional-level MoH and MoE staff, and under the coordination of the Programme National de Lutte contre la Schistosomiase et les Geohelminthiases, in collaboration with the Centre National de l’Education (CNE), and the Centre National d’Information et de Communication pour la Santé (CNIECS), and other partners.