The Contributions of Onchocerciasis Control and Elimination Programs toward the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Caitlin Dunn, Emory University; Kelly Callahan, Emory University; Moses Katabarwa, Emory University; Frank Richards, Emory University; Donald Hopkins, Emory University; P. Craig Withers, Emory University; Lucas E. Buyon, Emory University; Deborah McFarland, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2015-05-01
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2015 Dunn et al
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003703
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
• ISSN: 1935-2727
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 5
• Start Page: e0003703
• End Page: e0003703
• Grant/Funding Information: The authors received no specific funding for this work.
• Keywords: SCABIES; CHALLENGES; CONTROL APOC; Parasitology; COMMUNITY-DIRECTED TREATMENT; SKIN-DISEASE; TRANSMISSION; UGANDA; AFRICAN PROGRAM; VOLVULUS; Tropical Medicine; IVERMECTIN; Science & Technology; Infectious Diseases; Life Sciences & Biomedicine
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Human Development

Abstract

In 2000, 189 member states of the United Nations (UN) developed a plan for peace and development, which resulted in eight actionable goals known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Since their inception, the MDGs have been considered the international standard for measuring development progress and have provided a blueprint for global health policy and programming. However, emphasis upon the achievement of priority benchmarks around the “big three” diseases—namely HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria—has influenced global health entities to disproportionately allocate resources. Meanwhile, several tropical diseases that almost exclusively impact the poorest of the poor continue to be neglected, despite the existence of cost-effective and feasible methods of control or elimination. One such Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD), onchocerciasis, more commonly known as river blindness, is a debilitating and stigmatizing disease primarily affecting individuals living in remote and impoverished areas. Onchocerciasis control is considered to be one of the most successful and cost-effective public health campaigns ever launched. In addition to improving the health and well-being of millions of individuals, these programs also lead to improvements in education, agricultural production, and economic development in affected communities. Perhaps most pertinent to the global health community, though, is the demonstrated effectiveness of facilitating community engagement by allowing communities considerable ownership with regard to drug delivery. This paper reviews the contributions that such concentrated efforts to control and eliminate onchocerciasis make to achieving select MDGs. The authors hope to draw the attention of public policymakers and global health funders to the importance of the struggle against onchocerciasis as a model for community-directed interventions to advance health and development, and to advocate for NTDs inclusion in the post 2015 agenda.