NEWS

UFAR ANNOUNCES PLANS TO TREAT NEARLY ONE MILLION IN 2009

10 March 2009    

NEWS FACTS

• Three years after beginning distribution of ivermectin (Mectizan) in CDTI Kasongo, UFAR has reached its goal of bringing treatment to all eight health zones.  
• The Health Zones of Pangi, Kampene and Kabambare - 363 additional villages, nearly 246,000 people - will receive their first Mectizan treatments this year.
• Three million tablets will be distributed beginning in June.
• Distribution requires recruitment and training or retraining of nearly 10,000 community distributors, 26 doctors, 46 nurses and 136 assistant nurses. Treatment must continue annually for 10 - 15 years to effectively overcome the disease.
• The Total Budget for annual treatment is $93,000.   This cost is shared by the World Health Organization through its African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control branch, the Congolese Government and United Front Against Riverblindness.
• Community-Directed Treatment programs are more efficient than conventional delivery systems and achieve higher coverage, according to a three-year study .  

About the infectious disease, Riverblindness:

• River blindness is a major parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of the small blackfly that breeds along the banks of fast-flowing rivers.
• Humans acquire the disease during their regular trips to infested rivers for their routine daily activities such as farming, hunting, fishing and fetching water.
• The disease is characterized initially by a rash, severe itching, thickening and depigmentation of the skin, followed by visual impairment and eventually blindness. Among the DRC's estimated 60 million people, approximately:
        21 million are at risk
        13 million are actually infected
        70,000 are blind from river blindness
        The infection rates in endemic areas range from 20 percent to over 90 percent.
• The Mectizan Donation Program (MDP) was established by Merck more than 20 years ago as a clearinghouse for proper review and processing of applications requesting Mectizan for river blindness control. Merck provides Mectizan free of charge for the treatment and control of river blindness in 36 affected countries around the world.

About United Front Against Riverblindness:

Headquartered in Lawrenceville, NJ, UFAR is an African-inspired, US-based nonprofit charitable organization. Its primary mission is to deliver medical treatment to fight river blindness to the approximately 983,000 living in over 1,700 towns and villages in the remote Kasongo region in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), until the disease is eliminated.  

The UFAR's community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) project is in the Kasongo region and commonly referred to as CDTI Kasongo. The region is about 24,000 square miles and located in the Maniema province in the east-southern region of DRC.  The town of Kasongo, near the source of the Congo River and with a population of over 60,000 people, is the most important commercial center in the region. It is the administrative headquarters for the coordinator of CDTI Kasongo. The region is composed of eight health zones and 136 health centers. The people are served by eight general hospitals, about 26 medical doctors and 182 nurses and nurse supervisors.   

Onchocerciasis, also commonly known as river blindness, is a major public health and socioeconomic problem. UFAR works in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) through the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), the World Bank, the Congolese Government and thousands of community volunteers.  

Link to more information about UFAR and riverblindness http://www.riverblindness.org/

QUOTES, ATTRIBUTABLE TO DR. DANIEL SHUNGU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UFAR

"Breaking the transmission cycle of the disease in CDTI Kasongo is critical. This program has been immensely successful in that we have obtained 100 percent geographic coverage of the health zones treated in two previous years, and we anticipate the same success across all the health zones this year, including three new zones."

"The CDTI strategy has proven to be one of the most practical and cost-effective health interventions in the world"

" One of the most remarkable properties of ivermectin is that a single oral dose taken annually for the 10 to 15 year life span of the adult worms is all that is needed to protect people from river blindness."

MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS:

Additional photos on the UFAR website: http://www.riverblindness.org/new-photo-gallery.htm

		Low Resolution Photo: baggy-skin-low-res.jpg High resolution, 200 dpi photo baggy-skin-200-high-res.jpg Photo information: Baggy skin and swollen joints are just two of the disfiguring and debilitating effects of riverblindness.
		Low resolution Photo: unloading-supplies-low-res.jpg High Resolution Photo: unloading-supplies-300.jpg Photo information: Supplies unloaded at a grass air strip in the CDTI Kasongo region of DRC.
		Low resolution Photo: street-play-education-low-res.jpg High Resolution 300 dpi photo: street-play-300-high-res.jpg Photo information: Combating the myths of the disease is an important first step in initiating the treatment in each region. The man in the red hat is a character in a play that was written and performed by villagers. It was part of the public festivities and education prior to initiating treatment in CDTI Kasango in 2007. Similar events will be held where treatment is beginning in 2009.
		Low resolution Photo: daniel-motorbike-low-res.jpg High Resolution Photo: daniel-motorbike-300.jpg Photo information: Dr. Daniel Shungu (left), catches a ride to the airport in Goma on a recent trip to oversee distribution of Mectizan in CDTI Kasongo.

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