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SchistosomiasisCapacity building and partnershipsHealth issues in developing countries are now moving from an area of ignorance and neglectto a more prominent standing on the political agenda. Evidence of this can be seen in thestrengthened management of existing initiatives which has resulted in tangible improvementsof public health, while specific diseases are starting to be tackled by new public–privatepartnerships. Such collaborations bring advantages for resource-poor environments resultingin unique engagements in the health-related problems of disease-endemic countries. Thefirst serious collaboration between those dealing with a neglected disease and industry cameabout through the observation that ivermectin, a drug used to treat heartworm infection indogs, was effective for the treatment of human onchocerciasis (river blindness). TDR workedwith the US pharmaceutical corporation Merck to develop the product, which was finallyregistered for human use in 1989. Merck has since made the commitment to produce the drugfree of charge for endemic areas in Africa for as long as it is needed. This commitment hasbecome the cornerstone of the very successful control programme for onchocerciasis thathas been joined by numerous governments and non-governmental agencies. However, thissuccessful collaboration was not immediately followed by similar ventures. It took almost adecade before the idea took root and similar partnerships started to form, which shows that itis not easy to convince industry of the mutual benefits of collaboration and that it falls on thedonor agency to follow up and develop the partnership. Several industrial partnerships nowexist, but none in the field of schistosomiasis. However, an artemesinin partnership with thepharmaceutical industry is run through MMV, and this may yet benefit schistosomiasis. Also, aChinese institution ran a number of large-scale clinical trials in the 1990s, in collaboration withKunming Pharmaceutical Corporation, which demonstrated that artemether and derivatives ofthis drug can reach 100% protection against S. japonicum.Training issues in schistosomiasis mirror those found with other neglected tropical diseases,as schistosomiasis is generally a non-fatal disease and people perceive there to be an effectivetool for control and treatment; this perception is compounded by the focal nature of the diseaseand its low prevalence in relatively well controlled areas. As a result, there are few incentivesfor students and researchers to engage in postgraduate training, and few opportunities to applytheir new skills, while funds for research subsequent to postgraduate training appear to beevaporating. Further, many scientists who were previously engaged in schistosomiasis researchhave now either moved on to other diseases or are aging and nearing retirement withoutadequate replacements having been trained. It is difficult for a disease like schistosomiasis tocompete with the opportunities and funds currently available for training and research in HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, and more recent emerging and re-emerging infections such as SARS and10Report of the Scientific Working Group on Schistosomiasis, 2005 • TDR/SWG/07