Countries supported by USAID’s Neglected Tropical Diseases Program have made great progress toward ending lymphatic filariasis (LF). Across the USAID NTD country portfolio, two-thirds of the health districts with LF have been able to stop annual mass treatments because disease spread has been so slow.
Almost all the USAID-supported countries with LF have conducted at least one national LF survey, to date. In 2020 alone, a full 82% of health districts in the countries where LF is still a public health problem are planning to do a survey.
Surveys are important because countries use their results to decide when it’s safe to stop annual mass LF treatments in each health district. Without high-quality surveys, national NTD programs cannot make reliable decisions.
The purpose of this workshop is to equip countries to implement high-quality LF surveys that follow World Health Organization guidelines, guide countries on what to do if health districts fail and build country capacity on surveys, including handling challenges like disease hotspots and migration.
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Venue and Date
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Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
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January 14-16, 2020
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Purpose
- To equip country NTD programs to conduct high-quality DSAs for LF while taking challenges into consideration
- To equip country NTD programs to respond to failed DSA situations
- To enhance Act to End NTDs in-country program managers’ capacity to support and supervise Ministries of Health/National Tropical Disease Programs to implement high-quality DSAs.
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Scope
- Review WHO guidelines on pre-TAS and TAS with emphasis on evaluation unit eligibility criteria and sample selection
- Discuss implementation of technical and quality expectations for LF DSAs – storage of filariasis test strips (FTS), use of positive FTS control, retesting of positive cases, use of the WHO's LF Diagnostic Feedback Tool, and effective supervision of LF DSAs
- Review the Improving TAS Outcomes Checklist and the Responding to Failed TAS Report
- Hold breakout sessions to:
- Review country data and report to a plenary
- Analyze sample country MDA and pre-TAS data and discuss preparation and eligibility for DSAs
- Analyze sample country failed DSA data to discuss and outline the response to DSA failure
- Discuss the response to positive cases identified in DSAs – data analysis and follow-up of positive cases and clusters
- Discuss effective community engagement for successful DSA implementation, including community mobilization and feedback
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Agenda
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Presentations
- Overview of USAID LF TAS Workshop
- Aperçu de l'atelier
- USAID NTD Division - Overview of Lymphatic Filariasis
- Country Elimination Expectations‐ WHO 2030 NTD Roadmap Goals
- WHO Guidance for Pre-Transmission Assessment Surveys
- Orientations de l’OMS sur le Pre-TAS
- WHO Guidance for Transmission Assessment Surveys
- Community Engagement in Survey Implementation
- Implication communautaire dans la mise en œuvre de l'enquête
- Diagnostic Tests: Guidance
- Filariasis Test Strip Quality and Reporting
- Filariasis Test Strip Irregularity Reporting / Rapportage de irrégularités de FTS
- Tanzania Transmission Assessment Survey Experience
- Transmission Assessment Survey Preparation and Supervision
- Investigating and Responding to LF Survey Failures
- High-Quality Disease-Specific Assessments and Electronic Data Collection
- Improving Mass Drug Administration Tools
- Lymphatic Filariasis Operational Research Updates from NTDSC
- Tools
- WHO Lymphatic Filariasis Diagnostic Feedback Form (English)
- Check our @ActNTDsWest Twitter account for the latest from the workshop.
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