Working Practices
Who does the SCI Serve?
The SCI will assist countries to target people who are at high risk
of serious disease (morbidity) from schistosomiasis. Particularly vulnerable
people include: school aged children, women, and adults in occupations involving
water - such as irrigation farming and fishing.
How does the SCI Operate?
The SCI will collaborate with international agencies,
governmental and non-governmental organizations, and private companies to
achieve its objectives for schistosomiasis control.
 The SCI will seek to develop the necessary health education, administrative
infrastructure, technical competence, and evaluation methods to advance
schistosomiasis control in Africa. The control strategy will be developed by
each country, but will probably focus on mass treatment of school-aged children
and high-risk groups.
The SCI will investigate the advisability of combining the primary intervention
against schistosomiasis with other interventions that may be co-administered.
For example, in some areas, it may be deemed appropriate to combine
administration of praziquantel with albendazole to reduce concomitant infections
with soil-transmitted helminths.
The SCI will seek to:
·
Stimulate African countries to consider mass treatment of
schistosomiasis with praziquantel, for appropriate population groups.
·
Assist African countries to prepare applications to the SCI for the
development of national schistosomiasis control programmes.
·
Provide praziquantel on a large-scale basis, initially in the
selected countries.
·
Furnish technical assistance, as required in these countries, to
assure effective implementation of national schistosomiasis control programmes.
·
Evaluate and monitor control effects in the selected countries, to
assess the implementation and health consequences of the SCI
Applications from country teams will be reviewed by the SCI’s
Technical Advisory Panel. The SCI is committed to collaboration with country
teams to assist in the development of a successful application. Future expansion
of the SCI will depend on how successful the programme is in the pilot
countries.
Phase 1 (October 2000 – April 2002)
During the first planning phase, the SCI was based at Harvard
School of Public Health, in Boston. The feasibility of implementing schistosomiasis control in a number of African countries, was determined, and
partner organisations were identified for the planning and full-scale
implementation of control operations. The implementation phase will depend on
successful collaboration with a number of partners, including international
agencies, non-governmental organizations, bilateral donors, and pharmaceutical
companies.
The
SCI staff and consultants have approached Ministries of Health in a number of
countries; among them Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria,
Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia – to assess the current status of
schistosomiasis control and the potential benefit of those countries of
participation in this initiative.
Phase 2 (May 2002)
The SCI Unit establishment.
Imperial College in London was awarded a full grant with a
start date of June 1, 2002 with five components:
1.
The SCI Implementation Unit, directed by Dr. Alan Fenwick, based at
Imperial College and responsible for the management of the initiative.
2.
The SCI Surveillance and Monitoring Unit, to be directed by a recruited
scientist to be appointed by Imperial College.
3.
The World Health Organisation, which will develop the global strategy for
a fight against schistosomiasis and intestinal helminths.
4.
The Harvard Center for Population Development Studies directed by
Professor Michael Reich which will be responsible for much of the operational
research.
5.
The National Country Programmes which will implement the control
programmes in the selected countries.
Interested countries will be
invited to participate in the development of a detailed application to be
considered for the intervention phase of the SCI. All applications will be reviewed
by an advisory panel to be convened by the SCI.
|
