WHO policies & strategies

1. Lymphatic Filariasis elimination (LFE)

The strategies of the LFE programme are:

• Mass drug administration using either ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine co-administered with albendazole and vector control to reduce parasite load in humans to low level (parasite prevalence less than 1% in children under 5 years old) and interrupt disease transmission
• Disability management and prevention aiming at alleviating the suffering of those already disabled by the disease and preventing progression of early stages to advanced morbidity.

2. Leprosy elimination

The key elements of the leprosy control programme include maintaining leprosy elimination interventions in high endemic areas, integrating leprosy control activities to general health services, intensified advocacy, prevention of disabilities, and social rehabilitation for leprosy affected persons.

Global Strategy for Further Reducing the Leprosy Burden and Sustaining Leprosy control Activities.

3. Schistosomiasis and Soil Transmitted Helminthiases (STH) control

The control of schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminthiases is conducted through the mass drug administration strategy with focus on:

• School-age children.
• Adults considered to be at risk, from special groups: pregnant and lactating women; groups with occupations involving contact with infested water, such as fishermen, farmers, irrigation workers, or women in their domestic tasks
• Entire communities living in endemic areas.

4. Onchocerciasis control

The treatment strategy is to get 100% geographic coverage of endemic areas in which at least 65% treatment coverage is attained in meso- and hyperendemic areas. Ivermectin (a microfilaricidal drug) treatment should be administered over many years (13-20 years) in order to eliminate onchocerciasis as a public health problem. Therefore, long-term compliance to ivermectin treatment by is crucial in achieving sustainable disease control.
Onchocerciasis control in the African Region (215.28 kB)

5. Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) control

The strategies are:

• Scaling up mapping of disease to improve knowledge of disease distribution and Burden of Disease
• Strengthening the surveillance for HAT through mobile teams for active case-finding and the establishment of a network for passive surveillance as part of the Regional IDSR strategy
• Facilitate the link between research and control

6. Buruli ulcer

The strategies are:

• Strengthening of existing health system, which includes training of health workers and improved methods of case recordings
• Standardized case management, including case confirmation, use of antibiotics and rehabilitation
• Operational research