Control of tungiasis in Napak District, Uganda, using a One Health Approach
Situation:
In the project area in northeastern Uganda, the Karamojong live as semi-nomadic pastoralists under extremely poor conditions. Hunger, illiteracy, and limited access to healthcare define everyday life. At the start of the project, tungiasis (sand flea disease) was highly prevalent, affecting 65% of the population and causing severe morbidity.
Objectives:
The overarching goal of project phase 2 is to enable tungiasis control through integration of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention into the “Sustainability Plan for the Neglected Tropical Diseases Control Program 2020-2025” of the Ugandan Ministry of Health.
- Reduction of prevalence and tungiasis-associated morbidity to an insignificant level
- Increase in knowledge, changes in attitudes and perception concerning tungiasis in household leaders and school-age children
- Implementation of tungiasis diagnosis, treatment, prevention in community primary health centres
- Training of community health workers in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of tungiasis and other parasitic skin conditions
- Integration of tungiasis control measures into school activities
- Community engagement through sensitisation such as of teachers, traditional chiefs, community chairpersons, religious leaders, and district health officers using radio announcements, dissemination seminars and social media
- Dissemination of knowledge through seminars for district health personnel in the whole Northeast (Karamoja) Region
- Preparation of a documentary video on control of tungiasis in resource-poor settings
- Development of a Guideline for Treatment and Prevention of Tungiasis for the Ugandan MoH.
Tungiasis is a public health threat in many regions of Uganda. Based on the results from phases one and two of the tungiasis project, the Ugandan Ministry of Health is now able to implement control measures for tungiasis in all affected areas of Uganda. This systematically integrates diagnosis, treatment, and prevention into the local and national health systems, improving care and ensuring sustainable disease control.
The innovative aspect of the project is that, for the first time, a so-called proof-of-principle concept was successfully applied. This means demonstrating that an approach based on the One Health principle, considering human, animal, and environmental health together, works in practice. This concept lays the foundation for the long-term control and eventual elimination of the disease.
Further information: https://ifotrode.org/
