Partnership for Child Development recently supported the visit of leading Ethiopian parasitologists to Kenya where they learnt how Kenya's national
Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) mapping techniques can be applied in Ethiopia to furtherthe prevention of common worm infections found in schoolchildren.
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The visit supports knowledge and understanding of different techniques used in a large scale NTD mapping exercise and will strengthen future collaboration between the two neighbouring countries,” said Ethiopian Nutrition and Health Research Institute (ENHRI) parasitologist Gemechu Tadesse Leta. He continued, “
We will be able to take the best lessons learnt from Kenya and apply these to Ethiopia’s national mapping programme, so analysis on worm infections throughout Ethiopia can be undertaken in the most effective way possible.”
During the mission, Dr Jimmy Kihara, parasitologist from Kenya’s Ministry of Health accompanied the ENHRI team to two schools involved in Kenya's mapping exercise. Here, they met with school heads and teachers who are trained to carry out child deworming and who explained the techniques and operating procedures they use. The team also met with field officers who demonstrated the collection of pupil samples, these samples were then processed at a national laboratory where their analysis was presented by lab technicians.
Among its objectives, Kenya’s national mapping exercise, funded by the World Health Organization, increases knowledge on schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminth prevalence in areas where little is known about these worm infections which are commonly found in children and severly impact their health and learning abilities. School based deworming plans will then be drawn up by Kenya’s ministries of health and education, allowing healthy school children to be better able to concentrate and learn in school. The exercise will also be used as a baseline survey to monitor the decline of worm infection.
The field visit was an example of how capacity building can be strengthened across countries through shared firsthand learning. Both Kenyan and Ethiopian worm experts will continue engagement to further ensure capacity building for worm infection control in the neighbouring countries.
