To tackle the prevalent neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), Zimbabwe is gearing up for a nationwide mass drug administration (MDA) campaign set to commence this September. Spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, with crucial technical and financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Higher Life Foundation, this initiative targets the eradication of schistosomiasis (bilharzia), soil transmitted helminths (intestinal worms), and lymphatic filariasis (LF) across the country.

As part of the preparations, a training of trainers’ workshop was conducted in Bulawayo from 17-19 June 2024, targeting 90 health workers from all the country’s districts. These trainers will play a pivotal role in cascading their acquired expertise throughout their respective districts, ensuring a comprehensive and coordinated approach to disease management and treatment.

“This training is part of the planning process for the upcoming MDAs, which will be intense given that we already have the medication required,” said Dr Isaac Phiri, MoHCC Epidemiology and Disease Control Acting Director.

The integrated MDAs follows a meticulous population and community-based survey conducted in 2021. This survey identified districts with low treatment coverage for schistosomiasis, intestinal worms, and LF, thereby pinpointing areas where intervention is urgently required. The prevalence of schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminthiasis in Zimbabwe were estimated at 22 % and 5.7 %. Fifty-three (53) districts were found to be endemic for SCH and 5 were found to be endemic for STH. In 2015, 39 districts were identified to have Lymphatic Filariasis. Only two (2) rounds of LF MDAs were implemented (2016, and 2017), with the country embarking on confirmatory mapping in 2021. The first phase identified 16 priority districts for mapping, among these selected districts only two (2) came out positive for LF endemicity. The programme plans to conduct further confirmatory mapping in the remaining 23 districts. With a targeted outreach to approximately 5 million children, the upcoming campaigns will significantly curb the spread of these diseases, improving overall public health outcomes nationwide.

“The training was very helpful, and the timing allows us to cascade these to our peers and also be ready for the campaign,” said Mordecai Chephiri, a Health Promotion Officer from Kariba District.

To ensure the campaign’s success, the MoHCC received a critical donation of medicines from the WHO. The donation included 3,631,000 Praziquantel tablets to cover 1,815,500 people, for albendazole 8,789 boxes of 200 tablets to cover 1,757,800 people and for Ivermectin 6,116 bottles of 500 tablets. WHO’s support extends beyond medication, encompassing vital roles in the planning stages, advocacy and communication efforts, and providing supervisory guidance throughout implementation.

Zimbabwe adopted the new WHO guidelines advocating for decentralized service delivery to combat these debilitating diseases directly at the ward level. This strategic shift not only improves access to treatment but also strengthens efforts in areas heavily affected by lymphatic filariasis (LF). With WHO’s recent support in developing a comprehensive Neglected Tropical Diseases Master Plan reflecting these changes, Zimbabwe is now pioneering the use of triple therapy (Ivermectin, Diethylcarbamazepine, and Albendazole – IDA) to eliminate LF as a public health threat. Additionally, informed by recent nationwide mapping of Soil Transmitted Helminths  and Schistosomiasis , Zimbabwe will implement the new WHO guidelines of administering medication at the ward level.

“The new WHO guidelines for triple therapy to eliminate LF and ward-level administration of medicines are positive steps towards decentralizing provision of services in line with universal health coverage goal and a great step towards eliminating these diseases,” said Dr Mkhokheli Ngwenya, WHO Zimbabwe Acting Team Lead, Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases Cluster.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organzation (WHO) – Zimbabwe.

The decision was taken on 15th June, at a further meeting held at the Head of State’s Office with the former directors and the current board of directors of this part State-owned company.

According to the report of the Audit Commission and the Gendarmerie, it was revealed that, between 2016 and 2022, transactions and payments amounting to more than FCFA 5.43 billion were made that could not be accounted for.

As a result of the financial data, the former directors Lucas Abaga Nchama, Alfonso Osa Nguema, Bienvenido Esono Engonga and Luciano Esono Bitegue absolved themselves of all responsibility for these operations and expenses, claiming that the adjustments of accounts and procurement expenses that were carried out in the company were the responsibility of the financial director.

These accusations were denied by Bienvenido Ateba Mangue, head of finance, who asserted that a Ceiba finance director does not have the power to make a payment without the consent of the director general. Mangue also alleged that in the event that a director general detects a fraudulent operation, he has the power of dismissal. Therefore, according to the submission, directors cannot exempt themselves from liability regarding these transactions.

Along the same lines, Ateba Mangue also revealed the causes that, in his opinion, led to the bankruptcy of Ceiba Intercontinental, highlighting the management incapacity of the directors, the irrational use of aircraft, the abusive recruitment of personnel at the time of Covid-19, and the mismanagement of the company’s accounts abroad, among others.

After listening to the parties, the Vice-President of the Republic congratulated the CFO’s presentation for having provided fresh information, which shed further light on the mismanagement that had ruined the national company. In that sense, he regretted the way in which the entity had been managed, thus transferring the Ceiba case to the Attorney General’s Office so that justice could determine the responsibility and the respective punishment for each of those involved; at the same time, he added that those found guilty would have to replace the money in the State coffers.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Equatorial Guinea: Official Web Page of the Government.

Over 268,000 children in Uganda suffer from malnutrition, specifically wasting. To combat this, the country is enhancing data collection and use in its healthcare facilities and communities through the Nutrition Information System (NIS) project. This is part of the country’s broader efforts to generate community-level data to inform decisions for improving population health.

The European Union funded the 4-year NIS project, implemented since 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) through the Ministry of Health nutrition division and the district local government. This project targets Kyegegwa, Kamwenge, Yumbe, and Koboko districts.

The NIS project has significantly improved the management of malnutrition through the provision of data collection tools, and data interpretation to enhance early detection of malnutrition. For example, Noela Nyirabashage, a mother from Kamwenge District, credits the project for saving her child’s life. “When my child was six months old, a Community Health Worker visited us at home to conduct tests. They measured my son’s arms and discovered severe acute malnutrition,” she recalls. “We were immediately referred to the health facility for treatment.”

Through the NIS project, there has been significant improvement in data for nutrition programming at the national and district levels. Districts can now use data to plan for nutrition supplies, medicines, and equipment based on the trend in the number of malnutrition cases seen. This has contributed to the improvement of nutrition indicators. Between 2016 and 2022, stunting decreased from 29 to 26%, wasting decreased from 4% to 2.9%, and overweight decreased from 4% to 2.8%.

Moreover, the NIS project has catalyzed significant improvements in patient care in the Tooro and West Nile regions. In Kyegegwa District in the Tooro region, improved data usage has led to a 94% cure rate among children under five treated for severe acute malnutrition, according to a recent Nutrition Service Quality Assessment (NSQA) report. In Yumbe District (West Nile Region), despite the challenges of hosting a large refugee population, the district has seen substantial improvements under the NIS project.

 Mr. Ojjo Zubeir, Yumbe District Health Officer, highlights the project’s impact: “The NIS project has given us a clearer picture of our nutrition challenges. We are now better equipped to plan interventions and allocate resources where they are most needed.”

Families, too, have expressed profound gratitude. Noela notes, “Since the doctor started following my son in the health facility, his appetite has improved, he eats better, and he has more energy.”

Dr. Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, WHO Representative to Uganda, emphasizes the importance of the NIS project in enhancing integrated health information systems. “It demonstrates how data-driven approaches lead to better healthcare delivery, ultimately improving patient lives,” he explains. Sustaining these results requires ongoing government investment and continuous support from partners.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization – Uganda.

Habbanayé is an ancestral practice among pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Niger, which consists of lending reproductive adult livestock to family members, friends or acquaintances in vulnerable situations. The family receiving the loaned female assumes responsibility for them until their offspring are weaned. The loaned animals are then returned to their owner, while the recipient family retains the offspring.

In Niger, UN Capital Development Fund is unlocking the potential of Habbanayé to build community level resilience, empower women and reinforce community ties in a region that has seen a recent uptick in conflict.

The commune of Damagaram Takaya is one of 15 communes receiving UNCDF funds through the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) in Niger. Local governments receive Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRG) for investment in climate change adaptation actions, identified and guided by the local community and their needs.

Residents chose to use their grant to purchase a breeding stock of goats, that are loaned out to vulnerable community members – usually women – through the traditional Habbanyé practice.

In Damagaram Takaya, part of the grant was used to strengthen the economic empowerment of 40 vulnerable women in the commune. These women each received a goat kit consisting of three females and a male, provided according to the Habbanayé model. Before distribution to the beneficiaries, the goats, aged between nine and 15 months, were dewormed and vaccinated against the main epizootics prevalent in the region, which include plague, pasteurellosis and smallpox. They were also given a multivitamin supplementary treatment to ensure their good health and fitted with numbered ear tags for identification purposes.

After a year’s breeding, the beneficiaries each returned a female and a billy-goat to the community management committee, which in turn made them available to other vulnerable families.

Through Habbanayé, funded through UNCDF’s LoCAL mechanism, the women of Damagaram Takaya have boosted their food security with milk and meat from their livestock while earning additional income for their families. The women have strengthened their economic autonomy, diversified their sources of revenue and improved family living conditions. At the same time, the community are preserving a traditional practice that fosters solidarity and community cohesion, thus reducing the risk of conflict at local level.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).