First Treatment Campaign in Mali (January – April 2005)
The National Schistosomiasis Control Programme (PNLSG) was launched in November 2004 by Mme Touré Lobbo Traoré, the First Lady of Mali in the region of Ségou, the Fourth Administrative Region of Mali. Ségou has long been known to specialists as one of the worst affected areas of West Africa, due to the presence of the Office du Niger, a huge irrigation scheme draining water from Niger River. The treatment strategy
ResultsThe treatment campaign in Ségou was divided in two parts. One Cercle (equivalent to a District) was targeted in a pilot campaign from 15 to 20 February 2005; the other six Cercles of the Region were targeted from 8 to 13 March. In all 690,045 children and adults have been treated in Ségou region. The overall coverage rate was 92%, but this is likely to increase as some areas could not be reached during the campaign, and will be targeted a few weeks later, in the framework of National Vaccination Days. In these remote villages, children will be vaccinated against polio, and also receive praziquantel and albendazole. Acknowledgements4 million tablets of Praziquantel were donated by the pharmaceutical company MedPharm (http://www.medpharm.net/) through World Health Initiatives. All institutions included in this organisation and responsible for the donation are gratefully acknowledged:
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