Reduced funding for Neglected Tropical Diseases could be devastating

Ochieng’ Ogodo

[NAIROBI] Reducing funding for the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the wake of COVID could be devastating for people in low- and middle-income countries, says Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

These diseases that impact mostly the poor are often overlooked by policy makers, resulting in few resources being available to address them.

“For many of these diseases, there is no easy solution – diagnosis and treatment are difficult, expensive or not accessible for those in remote or underserved areas, or simply do not exist” says MSF.

According to the World Health Organisation, NTDs ─ also known as diseases of poverty ─ that encompass 17 bacterial, parasitic and viral diseases affect more than one billion people worldwide and an estimated 40 per cent of impacted people live in the WHO African region.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that NTDs  such as buruli ulcer, chagas disease, dengue fever, guinea worm disease, echinococcosis, human African trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis are found in several countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

NTDs often equal death or prolonged disability in the context of chronic poverty or humanitarian crises, such as population displacement, according to MSF. 

MSF is one of the few actors caring for people with NTDs in remote areas where resources are scarce and health systems are fragile.

“Over the last thirty years, MSF teams have treated hundreds of thousands of people with Chagas disease, visceral leishmaniasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, and sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis) – all parasitic NTDs which affect impoverished people living in very remote and underserved areas,” says MSF.

The international humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation of French origin not only helped identify new treatments and ways to diagnose people, but also played an active role in reducing the incidence of kala azar in Asia and sleeping sickness in Africa.

In recent years, MSF has also expanded care for people affected by snakebite envenoming, Noma and cutaneous leishmaniasis.  

It joined others today in today in signing the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), a high-level, political declaration which aims to ensure that these diseases are eradicated, eliminated or controlled by 2030. At the same time, MSF

“MSF strongly endorses the Kigali Declaration on NTDs and commits to continuing our response to these diseases, particularly for people affected by leishmaniasis, snakebite, noma and sleeping sickness, through diagnosis and treatment in the humanitarian settings where we work,” said Daniela Garone, MSF’s International Medical Coordinator.

Important progress achieved towards controlling NTDs over the last decade has recently stalled due to the COVID pandemic as well as substantial aid cuts. Gains made in controlling the spread of diseases like visceral leishmaniasis are further in danger of disappearing largely due to major funding cuts by the UK government which was previously a key financial supporter of NTD programmes.

The Kigali Declaration on NTDs, an important initiative for ramping up the global response to NTDs by prioritizing disease control and supporting the new ambitious WHO NTD Roadmap, needs a broad support, according MSF.

The MSF also calls for the development of new and more user-friendly medical tools that can simplify NTD care and better integrate it into countries’ health programmes.

“It is imperative that the world’s primarily profit-driven Research and Development (R&D) model is overhauled in order to make sure that desperately needed innovations for NTDs do not continue to be deprioritized because they aren’t lucrative for pharmaceutical corporations,” it says.

Starvation looms in East Africa after four failed rainy seasons

By Ochieng’ Ogodo

 

[NAIROBI] Hunger and starvation is looming large due to current widespread, and persistent multi-season drought affecting Somalia, the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya, and Ethiopia’s Belg-receiving and eastern and southern pastoral areas.

 

But the situation is projected to deteriorate more with below-average October-December (OND) season worsening the dire food security and malnutrition situation in 2023.

 

Four consecutive rainy seasons have failed ─ a climatic event not seen in at least 40 years ─ and the latest long-lead seasonal forecasts, supported by a broad consensus from meteorological experts, indicate that there is now a concrete risk that the October-December (OND) rainy season could also fail.

 

According to 30 May press release by Famine Early Warning Systems Network: “Should these forecasts materialise, the already severe humanitarian emergency in the region would further deepen.”

 

It is likely that the rainy season of 2022 March-May will be the driest on record, devastating livelihoods and driving sharp increases in food, water, and nutrition insecurity.

 

An estimated 3.6 million livestock have died in Kenya (1.5 million) and Ethiopia (2.1 million). In the worst-affected areas of Somalia, FEWS NET/FSNAU estimate that 1-out-of-3 livestock have perished since mid-2021. Over a million people have been displaced in Somalia and southern Ethiopia.

 

Prevailing water deficits have been worsened by very high air temperatures, which are forecast to continue into the June-September dry season. Rangeland conditions will deteriorate faster than usual, driving additional, widespread livestock deaths, as well as population displacements.

 

In cropping areas, harvests will again be well below average, causing a prolonged dependency on markets, where households will have limited food access due to high food prices.

 

The Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG) estimates that 16.7 million people currently face high acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3+) and projects figures to increase to 20 million people by September.

 

In Somalia, April 2022 analyses found a Risk of Famine (IPC Phase 5) and indicated that over 80,000 people were experiencing extreme hunger, indicative of Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) while in Kenya and Somalia, nearly 2.5 million people face Emergency (IPC Phase 4).

 

“Both Emergency and Catastrophe are associated with increased mortality. Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya have also recorded a significantly higher number of severely malnourished children admitted for treatment in the first quarter of 2022 compared to past years,” says the press release.

 

In addition to the drought, food insecurity and acute malnutrition have been exacerbated by other concurrent shocks, including conflict/insecurity, rising global fuel, food, and fertilizer prices due to the Ukraine crisis, macroeconomic challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Irrespective of rainfall between October and December, conditions will not recover quick enough to see food security improvements before mid-2023 and a rapid scaling up of actions is needed now to save lives and avert starvation and death.

 

The current appeals to respond to the drought remain well underfunded and the drought response needs to be increased immediately to prevent the already severe food emergency, including a Risk of Famine in Somalia, from deteriorating into an even more dire situation.

Curbing deaths from road crashes

By Ochieng’ Ogodo

[NAIROBI] A national initiative aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries from road traffic crashes has been launched in Kenya and will strengthen laws, policies and actions that are proven to save lives.

Road traffic crashes are a top-five cause of death for Kenyans between the ages of five and 70, and the leading killer of boys aged 15-19.

Worldwide, road traffic crashes kill approximately 1.3 million people every year - more than two every minute - with more than nine in ten of all deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

Road traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29 globally. WHO estimates that crashes will cause another 13 million deaths and 500 million injuries around the world by 2030 if urgent action is not taken.

The move by the Ministry of Health, the National Transport and Safety Authority, the WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies was launched last week (25 May).

At the end of the year 2021, Kenya recorded 4,579 fatalities as a result of road traffic crashes with tens of thousands more seriously injured. As at 22nd May 2022, a total of 1,816 fatalities have been recorded showing an increase by 9.2% compared to a similar period in the year 2021.

“No deaths on our roads are ever acceptable, and road traffic crashes are a pressing public health issue that we are working hard to urgently resolve. The work with WHO and partners through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety will be key to supporting our efforts to save lives and push forward progress.” says Mrs. Agnes Odhiambo, the NTSA Board Chair person.

The initiative comes as the government finalises a new National Road Safety Action Plan that aims to halve deaths from crashes by 2030. The government, WHO, Bloomberg Philanthropies and other partners are meeting to define how the initiative can best support the New Road Safety Plan.

“Road crash deaths are a crisis that hides in plain sight. Stepping up action on road safety is vital, as on top of the tragic human toll, road safety touches on all our lives each day, including getting to work and to school. By strengthening laws, practices and bringing partners together, the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative is key to saving lives,” said Dr Abdourahmane Diallo, WHO Representative in Kenya.

“Bloomberg Philanthropies is proud to partner with the Government of Kenya to strengthen road safety efforts that will save lives. We are committed to supporting proven road safety interventions that save lives,” said Kelly Larson, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Initiative for Global Road Safety.

Since 2007, Bloomberg Philanthropies has saved lives and reduced injuries from road traffic crashes by supporting the implementation of road safety interventions in 45 cities and provinces, advocating for stronger national road safety policies in 21 countries, and improving vehicle safety standards in four regional markets. These efforts are estimated to have saved nearly 312,000 lives.

 

Cassava varieties gaining acceptance among Nigerian farmers

By Ochieng’ Ogodo

[NAIROBI] New cassava varieties developed by the NextGen project—Baba-70 and GameChanger are gaining acceptance by farmers in Benue and Kogi states in Nigeria states, raising hopes of better yields in future.  

The varieties, Game Changer, Baba 70 and Poundable, according to the breeders, were part of the varieties released in 2020 and when cultivated with good agronomic practices and weed control can produce more than 30 tons per hectare instead of the current national average yield of eight tons per hectare.

While the Game Changer can produce 32 tons per hectare, Baba 70 can produce 38 tons per hectare. The new cultivars are also drought-tolerant and resistant to the virus diseases of cassava.

According to Dr Ismail Rabbi, a molecular geneticist and plant breeder with IITA, consumer preference studies were conducted before releasing the varieties. “In addition to high yield and stress tolerance, we found that these varieties are suitable for several agro-ecologies. Farmers, processors and consumers love these varieties because they were high-yielding, stress-tolerant, disease-resistant and had the right food properties,” he says.

“I am confident that farmers who adopt these varieties will make more profit and improve their livelihoods. These varieties are also a huge contribution to food security,” says Dr Mercy Diebiru-Ojo, who heads IITA GoSeed,

She adds: “As part of the launch, farmers and processors were taken to the field where the varieties were planted alongside an old improved variety, TME 419, 11 months ago and managed by Crest Agro. After an assessment of the field as well as the plant architecture, the farmers participated in harvesting some of the roots to compare with TME 419.”

A demonstration of the processing of the new varieties to prove that their dry matter and starch contents were high and of great food value was conducted on the entire process from the farm to the table.

Dr. Vishnuardhan Banda, Product Manager for Crop Variety Development, IITA, expresses joy that the farmers and processors are happy with the new varieties and eager to plant them on their farms.

 “We urge you to always tell us how these varieties are performing on your various farms. You have seen that these are very good varieties but we know that in years to come, you would need something new. Just keep giving us feedback about farmers' choices and complaints, and we the breeders will be working with that information to give you new and better products.”

                        Farmers and researchers celebrating new varieties. Picture credit: IITA

Ambassador Jaiyeola Lewu, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, and now a farmer, describes the varieties as game changers in the agricultural sector, saying “farmers will benefit immensely from them.” He urged the project leaders to ensure that the products were available and accessible to the farmers who need them.

The sentiments above were expressed during the farmers field day and product launch in Kogi on 19 while in Benue it took place on 23 May 2022.

Among those who attended the event in Kogi were farmers, processors, and representatives from Kogi State Ministry of Agriculture, Kogi State Agricultural Development Program, Nigeria Cassava Growers Association and other public and private sector stakeholders. IITA and NRCRI scientists were also in attendance.

The NextGen Cassava Project, is being implemented by Cornell University, New York, in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI).

Accelerate water security and access to safely manage sanitation and hygiene in Africa

[ABUJA, Nigeria] The Africa Water and Sanitation Week Conference ended on 26 November with the issuance of The Windhoek Multi-Stakeholder Resolutions for Accelerating Water Security and Access to Safely Managed Sanitation and Hygiene in Africa. The Conference was convened virtually by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) and the African Union Commission (AUC) and hosted by the Government of Republic of Namibia.

The Conference provided a platform to over 3000 registered participants for dialogue and knowledge exchange to advance the water and sanitation agenda in Africa. On water governance, the statement calls for the strengthening of policy, legal, institutional and regulatory environments by ensuring context specificity; intra- and inter-sectoral coherency. It calls for upholding the principles of universal social inclusion and equity. The statement further enjoins governments to raise the profile of social accountability and transparency. It notes the vitality of recognizing women and youth as agents for the planning and implementation of the water, sanitation and hygiene agenda in Africa. The statement notes that it is imperative to develop the requisite human resources capacity especially among the women and youth for sustainable services delivery.

On finance, the statement calls on governments and the private sector to significantly increase investments in climate-resilient and inclusive water and sanitation services and infrastructure. The continued support of development banks and partners is cited as a critical enabler. It calls on governments to recommit to both the 2003 PANAFCON commitment of allocating at least 5% of budgets for water and sanitation. It further calls for the e-Thekwini commitment to establish public sector budget allocations of a minimum of 0.5% of GDP for sanitation and hygiene programmes.

On water supply, sanitation and hygiene services governments are called to seize the opportunity of heightened awareness of ensuring water availability, and improved sanitation and hygiene services provision. Further, it calls for keeping up the fight against COVID-19, bringing down the over-all disease burden and preventing future pandemics. It is imperative that pandemic preparedness and response capabilities are strengthened, and the profile of sanitation and hygiene is raised. The statement calls on governments and stakeholders to address the challenges faced in the access of reliable and complete data in the water, sanitation and hygiene. The need to rethink how data on hygiene practices is captured and utilized to inform decision-making and improve sanitation and hygiene programming, and delivery has been emphasized.

On water for growth and economic development, governments and partners are encouraged to prioritize water management and services provision as essential ingredients for poverty alleviation and inclusive development. Further, it calls for the prioritisation of groundwater resources management as a key element of water resources development, utilisation and management. Well-functioning monitoring, assessment and management systems are noted as requisite ingredients to ensure sustainable use of the resources. Ministers also resolved to mobilize groundwater networks, actors and institutions towards a common, harmonized, and evidence-based approach to sustainable groundwater use and management.

On water quality and wastewater management, the statement calls for the strengthening of legal, policy and institutional frameworks for the collection and treatment of solid waste and wastewater. This, the statement emphasizes, should be to a minimum quality standard before reuse and or safe disposal. The statement calls for standardized regulations for wastewater treatment, environmental flows and water quality management in Africa. Particular reference should be paid to: i) arresting and reversing plastic pollution of surface water bodies; and, ii) preventing of groundwater contamination due to unsafe solid waste and wastewater disposal to the environment.

On climate change and resilience, the statement calls attention to the recently published UN's IPCC Assessment Report and the relevant priorities of the Glasgow Climate Pact. These include integrating water and climate action through adaptation and resilience planning at national and regional levels. It also involves promoting and financing global water monitoring systems to provide timely information about current and future water availability. A call is also made for a proactive approach to flood and drought management centered around monitoring, forecasting, and early warning vulnerability, impact assessment and preparedness, mitigation and response.

Lastly, this Statement also calls for the prioritization of investment for monitoring, evaluation, knowledge, information management and learning to consolidate evidence-based and timely decision making at all levels. It further encourages African governments to foster research and application of knowledge and innovations to inform sector interventions targeted at improving water management and sanitation services provision.

See full details of the statement here

-African Media Agency (AMA)