Programme National de Lutte Contre l'onchocercose
A woman waits for Mectizan to help protect her from River Blindness.
Project Partner: World Bank funded APOC and the MDP
Project Number: 2245
This project's goal is to put in place, reliable, durable and integrated mechanisms for the distribution of Ivermectin drugs with a view to eliminating Onchocerciasis as a public health problem in Burundi. The project, which commenced in 2003, is being implemented in partnership with the World Bank funded African Program Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) and the Mectizan Donation Program (MDP).
Ultimately, treatment for 633,387 people is planned through this programme by the end of 2009. In 2007, a new component was added to the programme to
treat people affected by the following Neglected Tropical Diseases:
Schistosomiasis
Helminths
Trachoma
Lymphatic Filariasis
and Onchocerciasis.
The project aims to eliminate the public health impact of these five diseases and develop local capacity that will be able to treat and control these diseases in a sustainable manner.