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THE RESOLUTION AND THE ROADMAP − CHAPTER 1
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through the health sector but also through smart investments in education, agriculture and
other sectors that are key to interrupting transmission.
The pharmaceutical industry donated nearly 1.35 billion 1 treatments in 2013, representing
a 35% increase since 2011. To meet the heightened demand for donated medicines and
accelerate expansion, monitoring and evaluation of preventive chemotherapy, WHO launched
a joint mechanism and tools to support implementation in 2013. A set of forms is available
to facilitate application, review and reporting and to improve programme coordination and
integration: a Joint Request Form, to assist countries in quantifying the number of tablets
required during the year for which medicines are requested; a Joint Reporting Form, to
simplify reporting the number of treatments delivered; an annual Workplan, to summarize key
activities for implementation; and an Epidemiological Data Reporting form, to collect data. 2
This mechanism puts the Ministry of Health in control by centralizing all country requests for
medicines and providing oversight for progressive ownership of control programmes.
Despite the tough financial landscape, funding for projects has increased, broadening
prospects for yet improved results in 2015.
1.2 Registering progress
Important progress has been made at regional and country levels. China has sustained the
drive to eliminate NTDs, notably schistosomiasis (Box 1.1). The Asia Pacific region is addressing
diseases of poverty and has achieved remarkable success in tackling NTDs under the leadership
of governments in endemic countries and with the support of partners worldwide. Lymphatic
filariasis has been eliminated in three countries; a further 10 countries are awaiting verification
of elimination or are in the surveillance stage before verification by 2016. WHO’s targets for
deworming school-age children have been achieved in five countries, and the elimination of
trachoma is anticipated in six countries by 2016 (3).
As part of country ownership of programmes, more than 74 countries worldwide are poised
to implement national NTD master plans, stimulating increased demand for programme
implementation and donated medicines. Globally, a total of 27 countries have achieved the
Roadmap’s target of 75% treatment coverage of school-age children for soil-transmitted
helminthiases.
All 47 Member States of the African Region have endorsed a regional plan that includes
efforts to eliminate onchocerciasis. Several countries in the Western Pacific Region have
progressed towards the Roadmap’s elimination targets (4). Verification of the elimination of
lymphatic filariasis has started in Member States of the South-East Asia (Maldives, Sri Lanka
and Thailand) and Western Pacific (Niue, Palau and Vanuatu) regions.
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1
“Billion” is defined as a thousand million (10 9 ).
2
http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/preventive_chemotherapy/reporting/en/