Abstract
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is caused by filarial worms that live in the lymphatic system and commonly lead to lymphoedema, elephantiasis, and hydrocele. LF is recognized as endemic in 73 countries and territories; an estimated 1.39 billion (thousand million) people live in areas where filariasis has been endemic and is now targeted for treatment [1]. Global momentum to eliminate LF has developed over the past 15 years as a result not only of research demonstrating the value of single-dose treatment strategies and point-of-care diagnostic tools, but also of both the generous donations of medicines from the following committed pharmaceutical companies: GlaxoSmithKline (albendazole), Merck (ivermectin), and Eisai (diethylcarbamazine; DEC), and the essential financial support for programme implementation from the donor community [2]. During 2011, more than 50 countries carried out LF elimination programmes, and more than 500 million people received mass treatment [1]. A principal reason for the programme's dramatic expansion and success to date has been the galvanizing of efforts of all key partners around a common policy framework created and coordinated through the World Health Organization's Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF). This report, rather than highlighting the very considerable contributions of each individual partner or even chronicling most of the specific achievements of the GPELF, instead focuses on the details of the underlying processes themselves and their importance in determining programme success.
Highlights
WHO launched the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) in 2000 in response to World Health Assembly resolution WHA50.29, which urged Member States to initiate activities to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) as a public health problem, a goal subsequently targeted for 2020
The report defines the strategic objective of each of GPELF’s two aims as follows: Interrupting transmission—i.e., providing access to mass drug administration (MDA) for every eligible person in endemic areas where mapping results indicate an infection of greater than or equal to 1%
A minimum package of health care aims to treat suffering from acute disease and to prevent disease progression and further disability [10]. With these two components taken together, the GPELF can be seen as a public health programme that provides access to specific health services—MDA and basic care for LF-related disease—for every person in need, thereby improving health for millions of people worldwide
Summary
Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis: The Processes Underlying Programme Success. LF is recognized as endemic in 73 countries and territories; an estimated 1.39 billion (thousand million) people live in areas where filariasis has been endemic and is targeted for treatment [1]. During 2011, more than 50 countries carried out LF elimination programmes, and more than 500 million people received mass treatment [1]. A principal reason for the programme’s dramatic expansion and success to date has been the galvanizing of efforts of all key partners around a common policy framework created and coordinated through the World Health Organization’s Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF). This report, rather than highlighting the very considerable contributions of each individual partner or even chronicling most of the specific achievements of the GPELF, instead focuses on the details of the underlying processes themselves and their importance in determining programme success
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