COUNTDOWN is a research consortium dedicated to investigating cost-effective, scale-up and sustainable solutions, necessary to control and eliminate the seven most common Neglected Tropical Diseases by 2020.
The COUNTDOWN consortium was formed in 2014 and is a research programme consortium funded by The Research and Evidence Division (RED) of The Department for International Development (DFID).
Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) researchers, policy makers, practitioners and Implementation Research specialists, from the UK, USA and Africa, have come together to generate knowledge about the realities of increasing the reach of NTD treatment, in different contexts.
To do this, we will conduct research in three African countries (liberia, Ghana, Cameroon).
By focusing our research on different contexts, including complex ones where there is conflict and/or unstable social and environmental conditions, we will generate transferable knowledge that can help improve NTD programmes in other countries.
In the latter stages of our programme, we will use our findings to help develop a scale-up NTD programme in Nigeria, where there is a high prevalence of NTDs.