Development of a proposal for submission to the European Union, Zanzibar (Unguja)

“A multidisciplinary alliance to optimize schistosomiasis control and transmission surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa”

Prof. Alan Fenwick, Dr Joanne Webster and Dr Lynsey Blair attended a 4-day proposal development workshop in Zanzibar May 2nd -6th 2005. The workshop was jointly organized by Dr Thomas Kristensen and Mrs Helle Schøler, DBL –Institute for Health Research and Development, with Drs David Rollinson and Russell Stothard, Natural History Museum, and drew together the expertise of some 20 invited delegates, representing 8 African countries, to discuss future research questions associated with the control of schistosomiasis. Among the twenty were several SCI country coordinators and research associates including Mr. Ali Foum Mgeni and Mr Hamad Juma Haji (Zanzibar), Dr. Nicholas Lwambo (Tanzania mainland), Dr. Narcis Kabatereine (Uganda), Dr. Louis Albert Tchuem-Tchuente (Cameroon), and Dr. Amadou Garba (Niger). The final outcome of the workshop was expected to be a proposal entitled “A multidisciplinary alliance to optimize schistosomiasis control and transmission surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa”.

The workshop was held at the newly refurbished Helminth Control Laboratory (Unguja), renovated by the NHM and SCI during 2003. The opening ceremony was attended by several representatives from governmental agencies of Zanzibar and was featured on local TV news. The guest of Honour, Dr Sultan Mohammed El-Mughaery, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Welfare Zanzibar, warmly welcomed the workshop delegates to the islands. Unguja has had a long history of research on schistosomiasis and today has an active control programme Piga vita kichocho (kick-out-kichocho) co-funded by The Health Foundation and SCI.

By establishing solid research networks between cooperating institutions and researchers, the workshop further explored ways in which other complimentary strategies might synergize with chemotherapy to maximize the longer-term impact of intervention. Integration of schistosomiasis control with other communicable disease programmes was extensively discussed as well as cost-effectiveness and feasibility of joint control activities. The fruition of the workshop was in the formulation of several clear research objectives that will be submitted to the European Union for consideration for research funding later this year.