News

MOH minister receives trachoma certificate

Achieving the Last Mile Against Trachoma: Benin’s Journey to Eliminating Trachoma

When WHO declared Benin as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem on May 17, 2023, the country became the fourth country in West Africa and fifth country in WHO’s African Region to do so.
Image of the current state of OV in Togo

Progress Towards Elimination: Act | West Countries Highlight Efforts Against Onchocerciasis

The Act | West consortium have made great strides during their tenure in the Act | West program towards the elimination of onchocerciasis (OV).
Tabe speaks to an interviewer

« Mes pieds, mon fardeau pour la vie » : l’histoire d’un jeune homme souffrant de la filariose lymphatique

Né en 1993 de parents cultivateurs aux revenues faibles, Amadou Tabe souffre les effets de la filariose lymphatique...
People suffering from bigfut in Kagbo village a community once plagued by bigfut, now experiencing fewer cases of the disease.

Eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis in Sierra Leone and Dispelling Rumors of Witchcraft: The Story of Mama Rukoh

In Sierra Leone, certain neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have long been associated with witchcraft and other forms of malevolence attributed to those affected by the diseases. 
Tabe speaks to an interviewer

“My feet are my burden”: A Young Man Living with Lymphatic Filariasis

Born to a farming family with limited financial resources and raised in the N’dali commune, Amadou Tabe currently suffers from lymphatic filariasis...
Dr Tacko Ballo, WHO

Mali’s Ministry of Health Validates Neglected Tropical Disease Sustainability Plan During Period of Major Progress to Control and Eliminate These Diseases

The Government of Mali’s Ministry of Health and Social Development is beginning an important new step towards neglected tropical disease control and elimination in the country following the technical and political validation of the NTD Sustainability Plan.
World NTD Day 2023 Banner

2023 World NTD Day in West Africa

The 4th World NTD Day was feted in style on January 30, 2023, by 8 of the 11 countries in USAID’s Act to End NTDs | West program. The annual international observance marks progress toward eliminating or controlling neglected tropical diseases and brings awareness to the five NTDs covered by the Act | West program.
A health worker sits with a family. The father is drinking out of a cup after taking some meds, which the worker has in his hands.

Act | West Program Reflects on Five Years of Progress

As the Act | West Program reaches its fifth year, the program reflects on progress and accomplishments made since its inception.
Togo MDA

Act | West Program Extended Until 2026 by USAID

USAID has extended the Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) | West Program until September 2026.
Madame Denise Kponton, 74 years old, is very attentive during a training session for community distributors held at the Parakou health center on November 24, 2022.

Une ‘maman docteur’ au sein des communautés affectées par les maladies tropicales negligees

« Avec Maman locotoro, qu’on soit petit ou grand, on prend son vaccin ou on boit son médicament avec grand sourire, » déclare Mme Denise Kponton, 74 ans, relais communautaire au Bénin depuis 13 ans...