First Treatment Campaign in Mali

The treatment campaign against schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths has now started in Mali, and the target is to treat more than 2 million children and adults by mid 2005.

The treatment campaign against schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths has now started in Mali, and the target is to treat more than 2 million children and adults by mid 2005.

The National Schistosomiasis Control Programme (PNLSG) was launched in November 2004 by Mme Touré Lobbo Traoré, the First Lady of Mali in the region of Ségou, the Fourth Administrative Region of Mali. Ségou has long been known to specialists as one of the worst affected areas of West Africa, due to the presence of the Office du Niger, a huge irrigation scheme draining water from Niger River.

The treatment strategy

All the villages situated along the Niger River, near to ponds, or in an irrigated zone were targeted. Within each selected village, all children aged 5 to 15 (inclusive) were offered treatment. In addition all workers professionally exposed to risk of transmission (fishermen, peasants working in irrigated areas) were also offered treatment. The drugs Praziquantel (against schistosomiasis) and Albendazole (against soil-transmitted helminths), were provided free of charge using trained school teachers for treating school-enrolled children, and fixed and mobile drug distribution teams for the rest of the targeted populations.

The campaign was supervised and monitored by mobile teams who visited several schools and villages and interviewed distribution teams and drug recipients during the event.

Results

The treatment campaign in Ségou was divided in two parts. One Cercle (equivalent to a District) was targeted in a pilot campaign from 15 to 20 February 2005; the other six Cercles of the Region were targeted from 8 to 13 March.

In all 690,045 children and adults have been treated in Ségou region. The overall coverage rate was 92%, but this is likely to increase as some areas could not be reached during the campaign, and will be targeted a few weeks later, in the framework of National Vaccination Days. In these remote villages, children will be vaccinated against polio, and also receive praziquantel and albendazole.

Acknowledgements

4 million tablets of Praziquantel were donated by the pharmaceutical company MedPharm through World Health Initiatives. All institutions included in this organisation and responsible for the donation are gratefully acknowledged:

• Escarpment Biosphere Foundation
• Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief
• Universal Aide Society
• Meoroth of CanadaCK Fund of Toronto, Canada
• The Alberta Distribution Relief Agency
• Adventist Society International
• The Living Waters Ministry
• Phoenix Community Works Foundation