Over 25 Years of Hope: Development of Lymphatic Filariasis Patient Support Groups in Haiti.

Support groups can create environments that are conducive to healing and well-being, particularly for persons with stigmatizing chronic diseases. In 1998, the support group concept was adapted in Haiti for persons with disabling lymphedema caused by lymphatic filariasis (LF). The project was developed with the expectation that the support group model conceived in the developed world be interpreted and modified by persons affected with lymphedema in the Haitian setting.

Progress from morbidity control to elimination as a public health problem of schistosomiasis and the status of soil-transmitted helminth infection in Togo: a second impact assessment after ten rounds of mass drug administration.

Background: Due to the burden of schistosomiasis (SCH) and soil-transmitted helminths (STH), Togo Ministry of Health launched a program for Preventive Chemotherapy Neglected Tropical Diseases (PC-NTDs) in 2009, initiating integrated mass drug administration (MDA) the following year for the three PC-NTDs: SCH, STH and onchocerciasis. Significant reduction of infection across the country was noted in 2015 during the first impact assessment, following 5 years of high-coverage MDA implemented at the sub-district level for SCH and district level for STH. After another 5 years of effective MDA, a second survey was conducted in 2021 to re-evaluate the situation of SCH and STH.

Restarting Neglected Tropical Diseases Programs in West Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Best Practices.

Countries across West Africa began reporting COVID-19 cases in February 2020. By March, the pandemic began disrupting activities to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) as health ministries ramped up COVID-19-related policies and prevention measures. This was followed by interim guidance from the WHO in April 2020 to temporarily pause mass drug administration (MDA) and community-based surveys for NTDs.

Translating Research into Reality: Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis from Haiti.

Research provides the essential foundation of disease elimination programs, including the global program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (GPELF). The development and validation of new diagnostic tools and intervention strategies, critical steps in the evolution of GPELF, required a global effort. Lymphatic filariasis research in Haiti involved many partners and was directly linked to the development of the national elimination program and to the success achieved to date.

Secondary mapping of lymphatic filariasis in Haiti-definition of transmission foci in low-prevalence settings.

To eliminate Lymphatic filariasis (LF) as a public health problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that any area with infection prevalence greater than or equal to 1% (denoted by presence of microfilaremia or antigenemia) should receive mass drug administration (MDA) of antifilarial drugs for at least five consecutive rounds. Areas of low-antigen prevalence (< 1%) are thought to pose little risk for continued transmission of LF. Five low-antigen prevalence communes in Haiti, characterized as part of a national survey, were further assessed for transmission in this study.

Feasibility and effectiveness of basic lymphedema management in Leogane, Haiti, an area endemic for bancroftian filariasis.

Background: Approximately 14 million persons living in areas endemic for lymphatic filariasis have lymphedema of the leg. Clinical studies indicate that repeated episodes of bacterial acute dermatolymphangioadenitis (ADLA) lead to progression of lymphedema and that basic lymphedema management, which emphasizes hygiene, skin care, exercise, and leg elevation, can reduce ADLA frequency. However, few studies have prospectively evaluated the effectiveness of basic lymphedema management or assessed the role of compressive bandaging for lymphedema in resource-poor settings.

Tolerance and efficacy of combined diethylcarbamazine and albendazole for treatment of Wuchereria bancrofti and intestinal helminth infections in Haitian children.

This randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigated the tolerance, efficacy, and nutritional benefit of combining chemotherapeutic treatment of intestinal helminths and lymphatic filariasis. Children were infected with Ascaris (30.7%), Trichuris (53.

Geographic distribution of lymphatic filariasis in Haiti.

Although lymphatic filariasis is known to have been endemic in Haiti since at least the mid 1700s, a national filariasis survey has never been conducted. As a first step in the national program to eliminate filariasis, we collected blood in January-April 2001 from 50-250 school children (6-11 years old) in all 133 communes of the country using an adaptation of the lot quality assurance sampling method. Of 22,365 children tested, 901 (4.