Neglected tropical disease coNtrol program - RTI International

6. Challenges and lessons learnedBecause the NTDCP was tasked with a conceptually new, ‘integrated’ approach to NTDs, severalchallenges were met over the life of the project. Some were more global in scope–with solutionsrequiring international consensus–and some were more focused at the national program level.This section describes the lessons learned in facing challenges over the life of the project.Need for Global NTD Targets and GuidelinesBecause there had been little focus on NTDs in the years prior to the NTDCP, programguidelines or algorithms for their effective control or elimination had either never beenformulated or had been developed only recently and were minimally tested. As the NTDCP started and support for wide-scaleprogram implementation was available, the countries’ need for guidelines became more critical. The challenge for specificguidelines was most acute for SCH and STH programs as well as for onchocerciasis elimination in Africa (a new program target).Similarly, packaging the USAID-targeted NTDs for an integrated approach to was totally new at the time NTDCP began, and theguidelines for achieving this integration were evolving. Different programs used different indicators for monitoring programs, forevaluating them, for assessing their impact, and as metrics of program success. In order to harmonize results across countriesand programs, the challenge was to establish an agreed set of indicators that could be shared by all. The programs of the NTDCPprompted the international community (led by the WHO) to work faster to set targets, define algorithms, create indicators andprovide the guidelines necessary for successful program function.91Neglected Tropical Disease Control Program Final Report