Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis ... - libdoc.who.int

29— key role to be played by head of household, i.e.allocation of responsibilities, financial resources,decision on seeking health care, involvement oftraditional healers, etc.— other family members to feed and take care of LFsufferer, collect drugs, provide traditional treatmentand handle related chores.Yola, NigeriaThe main conclusions are that:• the community care approach is not appropriatebecause:— community members are reluctant to associatewith LF sufferers;— LF sufferers do not want their problem to be widelyknown;— there are only a few cases per community andtherefore little interest;— lymphoedema management does not contain theelements for community participation;• home based care is more effective because there is:— family support;— perceived effectiveness of care by LF sufferers;— social support groups (at least three patients) withelected leader to interact with the health facility;— a strategy adopted as a model by the national PELFof Nigeria.WHO/TDR Workshop on Prevention of DisabilityAssociated with Lymphatic FilariasisTDR, in collaboration with WHO’s GPELF, organized aworkshop on 18–21 November 2003 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.The workshop was composed of researchers and nationalprogramme managers: 24 participants from the South-EastAsia and Western Pacific Regions took part. The workshopenabled each national team to develop a plan to implementdisability prevention activities in at least one implementationunit. The group identified priority operational researchneeds to prevent disabilities associated with LF.Rapid assessment procedures for mappingloiasisThe application of rapid assessment procedures for mappingloiasis (RAPLOA), using a simple questionnaire,has been completed in Cameroon (Nanga Eboko andNorth-West). The following activities are ongoing:• the validation of RAPLOA in other regions of Africafor which some of the studies are under way;• a study at the University of Lancaster to validate thespatial model based on ecological factors with therecently collected RAPLOA data;• availability of the software for spatial analysis in Ouagadougou,Burkina Faso, for routine analysis of RAPLOAdata. Staff of the African Programme for OnchocerciasisControl (APOC) are trained in use of the software.REPORT OF THE TECHNICALADVISORY GROUP ON THE GLOBALELIMINATION OF LYMPHATICFILARIASIS, 2003Since its inception in 2000, TAG-LF has met annuallyto give recommendations to WHO on all aspects of theLF elimination effort in all regions of the world and onresearch priorities. TAG-LF is composed of 14 membersselected for their expertise in LF science and programmemanagement and for their geographical representation.TAG-LF also relates to other technical advisory groupsand programme support groups, such as the mappinggroup and the Programme Review Group that reporttheir findings to TAG-LF.As a committee, TAG-LF has evolved from learningto understand its role, at its first meeting in 2000, toexpertly guiding WHO in how GPELF should providetechnical leadership. During the fourth meeting of TAG-LF in March 2003, which was held in Veyrier-du-Lac,France, the group considered issues related to:• monitoring and evaluation;• research;• chemotherapy;• strategies for implementing prevention of disabilitycaused by LF;• synergies in MDA between LF and soil-transmittedhelminth control programmes;• social mobilization.TAG-LF applauded the achievements of GPELF throughMDA, which had markedly increased coverage of nearly3 million people in 2000 to more than 70 million in 2003,despite a shortage of funds.Annual Report on Lymphatic Filariasis 2003Chapter 1 Progress of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis