In line with the WHO recommendations and guidance issued in April 2020, USAID advised Act | West to temporarily suspend NTD field activities.
Resources
Considerations for developing and deploying cost and economic impact models in the elimination/control of 5 PCT NTDs
The economic impact model and supporting disease-specific tools estimate the direct and indirect economic impact, efficiencies, and societal benefits of investing in NTD programs and interventions. The workshop will explain how NTD programs can use the supporting tools to develop investment cases to advocate for domestic resources and prioritize NTD investments in a multi-disease environment. It will also describe how, with support from HKI and Deloitte, Sierra Leone’s NTD program will pilot these tools and serve as the advisor on country needs, program and financial data, user testing of the tools, and utilization of the outputs for advocacy. After incorporating the feedback from the pilot in Sierra Leone, the Act | West team will make the tools available to all supported countries to create investment cases that enhance advocacy efforts for domestic resource mobilization for NTD programming.
Applying a quality improvement model to neglected tropical diseases program implementation: supporting programs in identifying keys for sustaining operations
West African neglected tropical diseases (NTD) programs have made great progress toward the elimination/control of NTDs amenable to preventive chemotherapy. However, some districts have failed impact surveys—notably for lymphatic filariasis and trachoma—due to implementation inadequacies, despite reporting good mass treatment coverage. A quality improvement framework has been initiated to strengthen country program interventions and address issues that hinder their ability to achieve the World Health Organization NTD road map elimination/control goals.
The workshop aims to present an innovative model for improving implementation and discuss ideas, strategies, and plans for initiating quality improvement (QI) activities. Experiences from Ghana and Sierra Leone in the design and implementation of the QI model will be shared.
WHO Lymphatic Filariasis Diagnostic Feedback Form (English)
WHO form to provide feedback on invalid lymphatic filariasis diagnostic tests (English version).
Excerpts from Community-based health care, including outreach and campaigns, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
Interim guidance May 2020
Published by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)