Neglected tropical disease control in post-war Sierra Leone using the Onchocerciasis Control Programme as a platform.

Strategic investments in the control of neglected tropical diseases (NTD) spearheaded by the US Government, the British Government and other bilateral donors such as foundations and key pharmaceutical partners have enabled the treatment of millions of people for the five targeted debilitating diseases (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis and trachoma), paving the way for the potential elimination as public health problems of some of these diseases. Like many other countries, Sierra Leone has a high burden of these major NTDs. Despite the fragile infrastructure of a health system emerging from a devastating 10-year civil war, the country has successfully implemented the National NTD Control Programme, reaching national coverage in 2010.