01744nas a2200241   4500000000100000008004100001260001400042100001600056700001200072700001400084700001800098700001400116700001400130700001300144700001000157700001500167700001400182700001500196700001100211245014300222856011300365520102400478       2020                            d  bCOUNTDOWN1 aChowdhury S1 aDixon R1 aShuaibu J1 aImhansoloev M1 aMakinde B1 aIsiyaku S1 aIrving J1 aLar L1 aAdekeye OB1 aThomson R1 aTheobald S1 aDean L00aIntegrating a gender, equity and human rights focus into national programming on preventive chemotherapy and transmission control for NTDs  uhttps://countdown.lstmed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/centre/GER%20Policy%20brief%2029%20April%202020%20pdf.pdf3 aThe burden of NTDs is unequally distributed within Nigeria; increased vulnerability and exposure often mean that the poorest individuals and households are the most affected, particularly in rural settings. Although the distribution of preventive medicines through mass distribution mechanisms is free; social, cultural and economic factors interact to impact the effectiveness and equity of medicine coverage. Using qualitative methods with state and district health providers, community drug distributors (CDDs) and community members to explore their perceptions of the barriers and
facilitators to effective treatment coverage and analysed these in terms of accessibility, availability,
acceptability and contact coverage. These methods were applied in areas where there were particular
challenges to the effective treatment coverage of mass distribution of medicines (based on
programmatic treatment data), to support programme decision makers in improving equity in
access to mass administration of medicines.