Meeting report: Accelerating Progress for Schistosomiasis Control and Elimination Post-2020

The Global Schistosomiasis Alliance, hosted by the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health and working with the WHO NTD Department, held a consultation meeting with experts and stakeholders to provide feedback on the new proposed WHO goals for schistosomiasis and to discuss and agree on potential sub-targets and indicators for the new NTD Roadmap.

This important meeting was generously supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and was attended by 45 delegates representing the following organizations and Ministries of health: CIFF, CDC USA, ESPEN, SCI, Countdown, GSA, Merck, End Fund, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Hellen Keller International, NALA Foundation, Sightsavers, Swiss TPH, World Vision International, and country representatives from Brazil, Burundi, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda. WHO representatives at the meeting included the Geneva NTD department, WASH department, and WHO regional offices; WHO AFRO, WPRO-SEARO and EMRO.

The consolidated feedback on the new proposed WHO goals for schistosomiasis post 2020 were submitted to the WHO and presented to the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for NTDs (STAG-NTDs) on the 29th of April 2019

The meeting was closed by the Federal Ministry of Health with enthusiastic feedback from the meeting participants, endorsing the GSA meeting and highlighting that it brought together diverse representatives from the schistosomiasis community, consolidated expertise and provided clear feedback as one community on the WHO goals.  

A meeting report is avaialable to download from the righthand box.