Introduction
For several of the NTDs prevention is available in the form of chemoprophylaxis. Preventive chemoprophylaxis involves administering six medicines in seven different combinations, making it possible to treat more than one disease at a time. Chemoprophylaxis does not only decrease the disease burden, it also prevents permanent impairments, chronic pain, stigmatization and an increase in poverty.
Preventive chemotherapy is a disease control strategy that is mostly used in (high) endemic areas as periodic mass drug administration in communities or provided to specific target groups, such as school children. The aim of the mass distribution is to kill the micro-organism in infected individuals, which will lead to reduced transmission and prevention of disease.
For which NTDs is this relevant?
The NTDs that are usually mentioned as the Preventive Chemotherapy (PC)-NTDs are: Onchocerciasis, Dracunculiasis, Lymphatic Filariasis, Schistosomiasis, Soil Transmitted Helminthes and Trachoma. Since 2018 the WHO guidelines on leprosy also recommended chemoprophylaxis for leprosy in the form of a single dose of rifampicin given to the group most at risk; close contacts of leprosy patients.
Relevant Projects
USAID Act to End NTDs | West program supports the elimination of seven neglected tropical diseases (NTD) in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The program seeks to build upon the achievements of USAID’s END in Africa and ENVISION projects in West Africa, continuing efforts to eliminate lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, and (in selected countries) onchocerciasis as public health problems. It also aims to strengthen national NTD program capacity to sustain treatment for long-term control of schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, and three types of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (caused by hookworms, roundworms and whipworms), and to mainstream NTD programs into national health systems. Initially intended to run from 2018-2023; USAID has granted costed extensions for three more years – meaning that it will conclude in 2026. This will continued support will enable partner countries to continue to deliver treatments. The Act to end NTDs | West program has and will continue to play a key role in countries endeavour towards successfully eliminating NTDs.
- Ghana (2018) and Benin (2023) eliminated trachoma as a public health problem
- Niger awaits official WHO verification for elimination of onchocerciasis
- Cross-border coordination between Cameroon and Nigeria for MDA administration
- Togo NTDs program is developing an integrated surveillance plan to operationalize WHO recommendations for each eliminated disease.
Accelerate trachoma elimination programme from Sightsavers supports at least 17 countries to eliminate trachoma as a public health risk, and speed up progress in two others by 2027. Working with governments and partners, the Accelerate programme has so far delivered 53 million treatments to prevent people from contracting trachoma, and managed 91,000 advanced cases of the disease. In 2023 Benin became the first country supported by the programme to successfully eliminate trachoma as a public health problem. The programme will also continue to build on ground-breaking research into the link between the antibiotic used to treat trachoma and a reduction in childhood mortality.