Abstract
.Research provides the essential foundation of disease elimination programs, including the global program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (GPELF). The development and validation of new diagnostic tools and intervention strategies, critical steps in the evolution of GPELF, required a global effort. Lymphatic filariasis research in Haiti involved many partners and was directly linked to the development of the national elimination program and to the success achieved to date. Ongoing research efforts involving many partners will continue to be important in resolving the challenges faced by the program today in its final efforts to achieve elimination.
Highlights
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is the target of a global elimination program, aimed at preventing transmission of a disease which in its chronic phases, causes incapacitating lymphedema, elephantiasis, and hydrocele
Research provides the essential foundation of disease elimination programs, including the global program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (GPELF)
The country has successfully scaled up mass drug administration (MDA) to achieve 100% geographic coverage and is carrying out World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended transmission assessment survey (TAS) to stop MDA across many areas of the country[1,2] This success reflects the strong commitment over many years by resilient partners, and the robust foundation of a program built on decades of investment in field and laboratory research
Summary
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is the target of a global elimination program, aimed at preventing transmission of a disease which in its chronic phases, causes incapacitating lymphedema, elephantiasis, and hydrocele. Research is at the core of all successful disease elimination programs, including the Global Program to Eliminate LF (GPELF) through the development and validation of effective intervention tools and strategies. For GPELF, key advances including the development of new treatment strategies based on single-dose treatment and rapid diagnostic tools, were made with Haiti serving as a key partner.[3] research done in Haiti provided the genesis of the public health effort to eliminate LF in the country. Engagement by the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on LF in Haiti, with the support of the University of Notre Dame and Ministry of Health, provides an excellent case study of how research activities can support the development and evolution of disease elimination programs. This review will describe how the research, carried out in the context of a global research initiative, contributed to the development of Haiti’s program to eliminate LF
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