http://www.swisstph.ch/ en http://www.swisstph.ch/typo3conf/ext/tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.swisstph.ch/ 18 16 TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:37:00 +0200 http://www.swisstph.ch/news-archive/news/news/world-malaria-day-2013-invest-in-the-future-defeat-malaria.html The highly effective NETCELL programme in Tanzania has been extended for another five years. The... A woman unpacks her brand new bed net before using it for the first time. Photographer: Matthieu Zellweger (Swiss Malaria Group photocontest) «NETCELL has dramatic effects on health, especially for children, in Tanzania», says Christian Lengeler of Swiss TPH and lead coordinator of the NETCELL programme. Thanks to NETCELL, more than 28 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets were distributed in Tanzania. The nets provide both personal protection, by acting as a physical barrier against mosquito bites, and community protection, by killing mosquitos that come into contact with the net. Today, nearly all households in Tanzania have at least one mosquito net. As a result, more than 70% of the population can be protected from a malaria infection. Monitoring data indicate that all income groups, including the poorest, have benefitted from this campaign. «The next step is to evaluate the distribution of nets in schools», says Lengeler. This step should increase the distribution of mosquito nets and further reduce the chance of a malaria infection. Tanzania likely to achieve MDGs 4 and 6 By effectively controlling malaria transmission, the mosquito net programme helped to slash the child mortality rate in Tanzania by 44% within five years (2007-2012). This translates into about 45,000 child deaths averted per year. Tanzania’s success in the fight against malaria is the result of major international collaborative efforts. Under the leadership of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) of the Tanzanian government, Swiss TPH plays a critical role, contributing long-term technical support. The total cost of the two largest net campaigns amounted to 220 million USD. They were funded by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and the US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). As a result, Tanzania is one of the few large countries in Africa likely to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 6. Additional information

• NETCELL
• National Insecticides Treated Nets Programme (NATNETS)
• Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

]]> Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:30:00 +0200 http://www.swisstph.ch/news-archive/news/news/swiss-malaria-group-announces-winners-of-malaria-photo-contest.html Geneva, 22 April 2013. On the occasion of World Malaria Day 2013, the Swiss Malaria Group announce... Geneva, 22 April 2013. On the occasion of World Malaria Day 2013, the Swiss Malaria Group announce the winners of the photo contest “Malaria: The Big Picture”. The online photo contest and subsequent exhibition was organised by the Swiss Malaria Group to highlight the reality of those living at risk of malaria and the work of those dedicated to changing that reality.

Since 2000, thanks to the scale-up of malaria control measures, such as bed nets, insecticide spraying, diagnosis and effective medicines, the world has made major progress in reducing suffering and death associated with malaria. Many countries have been able to eliminate the disease from their borders. Endemic countries are making the commitment to control and eliminate malaria, and new tools and approaches are being developed to support this work. For the first time in history, defeating the disease altogether is within reach.
The fight against malaria has been one of our best investments in global health to date. Yet, these recent gains are increasingly threatened by a shortfall in funding. It is critically important that we pool all possible resources to stay the course, as malaria resurgence will remain a persistent threat until the disease is eradicated altogether.
To celebrate the gains and highlight the critical need to maintain the momentum, between 15 February and 24 March, photographers from around the world submitted more than 700 photos in three categories (people, healthcare & control, and research & development) to the contest. The public were then invited to vote before 7 April to determine a shortlist and the final winners were chosen by an international panel of judges. 

First-place winners, selected by the judges, will receive a new Fuji camera and CHF 400 in cash. Runners-up, in second to fifth place, will receive one of a series of cash prizes: 2nd: CHF 400; 3rd: CHF 300; 4th: CHF 200; 5th: CHF 100.

“The competition is one of the strongest I have seen,” said David Burnett, one of the contest’s judges and three times World Press Photo jury member. “There is a wonderful combination of 'reportage' and portraits, and together they provide a very impressive selection of photographs highlighting the efforts to help people in malaria-infested locations. I’m happy to have been involved in judging; it’s really important to support photographers who are telling stories about malaria and bringing the issues of prevention and treatment into the public eye.”
“The Swiss Malaria Group thanks Fuji Switzerland for their generous donation of three cameras as first prizes, the fifteen organisations  that provided their promotional support and our expert jury panel for their selection,” said Dr Thomas Teuscher of Roll Back Malaria. “We hope that the contest will not only raise awareness about malaria but encourage other organisations to join the group and make it even stronger in the years to come.” “Photos have the ability to open the door on a world never seen before,” Gerhard Siegfried, Head of East and Southern Africa Division of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. “Photos submitted to the contest have not only opened that door to malaria but have also allowed us to step through and see the bigger picture; the victims of malaria, the tools and interventions that can save them from the disease and the people working to develop those tools. I invite you to see the big picture for yourself.”
The Swiss Malaria Group will mark World Malaria Day 2013 and announce the winners at 18h00, 22 April 2013 at the Malaria Vaccines for the World conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the winning photos will be displayed. The winners and runners-up can also be viewed via the online exhibition from 22 April 2013. Congratulations to our winners, which are as follows:
Category 1: People

• 1st: Dimple Pancholi: ‘Untitled’
• 2nd: Somenath Mukhopadhyay: ‘Look beyond’
• 3rd: Rabin Chakrabarti: ‘Preventing mosquito bites’
• 4th: Allan Jay Quesada: ‘Poverty and malaria risks’
• 5th: Fabian Biasio: ‘Children jumping into the water’

Category 2: Health care and control

• 1st: Sandipan Majumdar: ‘Malaria prevention’
• 2nd: Andre Laas: ‘The art of war’
• 3rd: Matthieu Zellweger: ‘Unpacking the net’
• 4th: Sarah Hoibak: ‘Spaceman? No, vector-man!’
• 5th: Oliver Lassen: ‘Two for one’
• Category 3: Research and development
• 1st: Jennifer Jackson: ‘Bloodsuckers’
• 2nd: Konstantin Ikonomidis: ‘Thermal (un)comfort of a bed net’
• 3rd: Quique Bassat: ‘Looking for a patient's missing file’
• 4th: Andre Laas: ‘Know the enemy’
• 5th: Ken Mwai: ‘See it large, see it minute’

Category 3: Research and development

• 1st: Jennifer Jackson: ‘Bloodsuckers’
• 2nd: Konstantin Ikonomidis: ‘Thermal (un)comfort of a bed net’
• 3rd: Quique Bassat: ‘Looking for a patient's missing file’
• 4th: Andre Laas: ‘Know the enemy’
• 5th: Ken Mwai: ‘See it large, see it minute’

]]> Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:22:00 +0200 http://www.swisstph.ch/news-archive/news/news/launch-of-the-re-designed-community-health-funds-in-dodoma-region.html On 16th February the Re-designed Community Health Funds (CHF Iliyoboreshwa) for Dodoma Region,... On 16th February the Re-designed Community Health Funds (CHF Iliyoboreshwa) for Dodoma Region, Tanzania, were launched in an official launching ceremony officiated by the Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office - Regional Administration and Local Government, the Honorable Aggrey Mwanri. The political leaders of Dodoma Region and its seven districts were prominently represented by five Members of Parliament, the Regional Commissioner, Regional Administrative Secretary, Regional Medical Officer, the District Commissioners, District Executive Directors, District Medical Officers, among others. The redesign of the “CHF Iliyoboreshwa” has been developed in the framework of the Health Promotion and System Strengthening Project (HPSS) and is implemented by the district authorities of all seven districts of Dodoma Region who aim at establishing the CHF as a sustainable health insurance scheme.
Insurance Management Information System (IMIS) The core of the re-design is the new Insurance Management Information System (IMIS) which provides the Community Health Funds with a comprehensive solution for data management, including membership enrolment through mobile phone technology, contribution management, claims processing and payment, as well as member feedback collection. The IT system will allow online and offline operation. Each family member is now getting their own CHF card – it used to be one card per family – and with this individual card has easy access to health services. One of the major problems up to now has been the limitation of access to only one health facility in the home place of members. With the new system this limitation is overcome. The new CHF card can be used in any public health facility across the districts of Dodoma Region, including hospitals. Each health facility attached to the CHF network received a smart phone which is readily available in Tanzania that is able to connect to the data base to instantly download member photos from the IT system for easy identification of the member.
The same mobile phones are also used to enrol people into the CHF by taking their photo and uploading them to the IMIS database. All this can also work in rural areas with limited internet access through backup provisions for offline data management. Enrolment Officers are now placed at the community level to enrol members in a quick and easy procedure using the CHF phone. The new system will also allow health facilities a fast and simple processing of claims they submit after treating CHF patients. This is expected to strengthen the financial capacities of the health services. The new CHF system, once tested and proven to be effective in Dodoma Region, is designed in a way that it can easily be rolled out nationwide. The investments done into developing the CHF Iliyoboreshwa are therefore hoped to benefit not only Dodoma Region, but the whole population of Tanzania. Funding and Implementation The HPSS project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Switzerland, and her partner organization the Micro Insurance Academy (MIA), Germany. Monitoring is supported by the Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania. The IT system has been developed by the Dar es Salaam based Exact Software Company and HPSS experts.
Vodacom Tanzania supports the project as the key communications partner. For the development and pilot phase up to January 2015 Vodacom provides the Community Health Funds with free internet and text message communication between the central database and the health facilities and enrollment officers attached to the CHF network.
The development of the IMIS data management system was done in cooperation with experts from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Prime Minister’s Office for Regional and Local Government, and the National Health Insurance Fund in order to ensure full compliance with Tanzanian standards and compatibility with the local government IT systems. The new CHF system, once tested and proven to be effective in Dodoma Region, is designed in a way that it can easily be rolled out nationwide. Contact:
For further information and comment, please contact: Manfred Stoermer, Project Manager HPSS Project and Head Health Economics and Financing Group at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (SwissTPH): +41 61 284 8321 manfred.stoermer@unibas.ch, or Prof. M. Meshack, Team Leader HPSS Project, Dodoma, Tanzania: +255 26 2323 084, meshack@sjut.ac.tz

Reports in the Media
The launching event captured broad attention in the Tanzanian media in radio, TV, newspapers and internet blogs. For further information please consult:
In Kiswahili language:

• http://williammalecela.blogspot.ch/2013/02/coming-live-from-dodoma-our-super-blog.html?spref=fb

In English language:

• http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=51400
• http://kenyadailyeye.jibostudios.com/2013/02/low-income-earners-to-benefit-from-chf/
• http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/business/13-local-business/28924-state-mulls-broadening-community-health-fund.html
• http://dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/14804-low-income-earners-to-benefit-from-chf

]]> Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:18:00 +0100 http://www.swisstph.ch/news-archive/news/news/road-traffic-pollution-as-serious-as-passive-smoke-in-the-development-of-childhood-asthma.html New research conducted in 10 European cities has estimated that 14% of chronic childhood asthma is... New research conducted in 10 European cities has estimated that 14% of chronic childhood asthma is due to exposure to traffic pollution near busy roads. The results are comparable to the burden associated with passive smoking: the World Health Organization estimates that between 4% and 18% of asthma cases in children are linked to passive smoking. The findings, published online today (22 March 2013) ahead of print in the European Respiratory Journal, come as the European Commission has declared 2013 the ‘Year of Air’, which highlights the importance of clean air for all and focuses on actions to improve air quality across the EU. Until now, traffic pollution was assumed to only trigger asthma symptoms and burden estimations did not account for chronic asthma caused by the specific range of toxicants that are found near heavily used roads along which many Europeans live. The researchers used a method known as population-attributable fractions to assess the impact of near-road traffic pollution. This calculates the proportional reduction in disease or death that would occur if exposure to a risk factor were reduced to a lower level. The new research used data from existing epidemiological studies which found that children exposed to higher levels of near-road traffic-related pollution also had higher rates of asthma, even when taking into account a range of other relevant factors such as passive smoking or socioeconomic factors. The researchers aimed to take these findings further and estimate how many asthma cases could be avoided if exposure was removed. The results found that 14% of asthma cases across the 10 cities could be attributed to near-road traffic pollution. The findings also take into account differences in the health of the overall population in different cities. Lead author, Dr Laura Perez at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, said: “Air pollution has previously been seen to trigger symptoms but this is the first time we have estimated the percentage of cases that might not have occurred if Europeans had not been exposed to roadtraffic pollution. In light of all the existing epidemiological studies showing that road-traffic contributes to the onset of the disease in children, we must consider these results to improve policy making and urban planning.” Original Article: Laura Perez, Christophe Declercq, Carmen Iñiguez, Inmaculada Aguilera, Chiara Badaloni, Ferran Ballester, Catherine Bouland, Olivier Chanel, FB Cirarda, Francesco Forastiere, Bertil Forsberg, Daniela Haluza, Britta Hedlund, Koldo Cambra, Marina Lacasaña, Hanns Moshammer, Peter Otorepec, Miguel Rodríguez-Barranco, Sylvia Medina and Nino Künzli (2013) Chronic burden of near-roadway traffic pollution in 10 European cities (APHEKOM network). Eur Respir J (Published ahead of print, 22 March 2013). doi:10.1183/09031936.00031112 Contact: For further information and comment, please contact: Dr. Christian Heuss, Head Communications at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH): +41 61 284 86 83 or christian.heuss@unibas.ch Find out more about the EU Year of Air initiative: http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/2013-kicking-off-the-2018year For further information on the ERJ, please contact: Lauren Anderson, European Lung Foundation, lauren.anderson@europeanlung.org ]]> Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +0100 http://www.swisstph.ch/news-archive/news/news/malaria-the-big-picture-the-swiss-malaria-group-hosts-an-online-photo-contest.html Malaria affects the lives of millions across the world. The Swiss Malaria Group* online photo... The contest is open to all. Send in your photos and captions that tell a story about malaria between 15 February and 24 March via the online platform: www.malariaphotos.org, where you will find details of the three submission categories. The public will then vote on the finalists and a panel of expert judges select the winners.
The lucky winners – fifteen photographers from around the world – will be announced on the 22nd of April at the “Malaria Vaccines for the World” Conference in Lausanne. The prizes include three brand new Fuji cameras plus CHF 400 (first prizes) or one of a series of cash prizes. In addition, the winning photographs will be posted in an online exhibition for the world to see in time for World Malaria Day on the 25th of April.
Have you got a photo that can tell a story about malaria? Then send it in!
*Acino Pharma AG, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Medicus Mundi Schweiz, Novartis, Novartis Foundation for sustainable development, Roll Back Malaria, SoildarMed, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Swiss Malaria Foundation, Swiss Red Cross, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Syngenta, Vestergaard Frandsen]]> Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:43:00 +0100 http://www.swisstph.ch/news-archive/news/news/registration-is-now-open-primary-health-care-and-ncds-in-eastern-europe-and-central-asia-where-d.html The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute will be holding its annual Spring Symposium on April...
Participation is free of charge, but registration is mandatory.

For more information and registration please visit: http://www.swisstph.ch/spring_symposium_2013.html Contact: scih-tph@unibas.ch ]]> Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:54:00 +0100 http://www.swisstph.ch/news-archive/news/news/new-mba-in-international-health-management-application-deadline-25-march-2013.html Swiss TPH is offering an MBA in International Health Management, a professional postgraduate course...
The MBA in International Health Management offered by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), an associated institute of the University of Basel and a member of the Swiss School of Public Health+ (SSPH+), is a worldwide unique opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills outlined above. The content of the modular programme goes beyond classical MBA programmes in healthcare, as it maintains a global perspective and interdisciplinary approach throughout, with a strong focus on meso- and macro-level leadership positions.

The long-standing experience and expertise of Swiss TPH in international collaboration in research, teaching and services guarantees high-quality learning experiences, that are always based on empirical and practical evidence. In particular the experience of Swiss TPH as a Local Fund Agent for the Global Fund and the numerous advisory and supervisory mandates for GAVI, DNDi the World Health Organization and other global initiatives is relevant for the MBA programme.

Lecturers and facilitators in our programme not only have sound scientific backgrounds, but also practical expert knowledge. In addition to Swiss TPH staff, we also involve national and international experts and institutions in the planning and implementation of modules.

Information evenings:

Please join our information evenings and learn more about the new Master of Business Administration in International Health Management (MBA).

- 4 February 2013 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm
- 4 March 2013 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm

Venue: Swiss TPH, Seminar Room 3, Socinstrasse 55, 1st floor

More information:
http://www.swisstph.ch/mba-in-international-health-management.html
http://www.facebook.com/events/458289540891385/ ]]> Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:18:00 +0100 http://www.swisstph.ch/news-archive/news/news/the-7th-rudolf-geigy-award-was-awarded-on-the-20th-december-to-dr-manuel-hetzel.html Every second year the award including prize money of 10’000 CHF is given to young researchers who –...
This year’s award goes to the scientist Manuel Hetzel. In the last few years, Hetzel has intensively worked to mitigate the global burden of disease, especially malaria. He conducted his PhD within the framework of the “access-programme” that aimed to facilitate the population’s access to the health system in Tanzania. In the last four years, Hetzel evaluated the National Malaria Control Programme in Papua New Guinea (PNG) where he supervised the work of over 60 collaborators.
 

• Laudatio Dr. Manuel Hetzel
• Rudolf Geigy Foundation

]]> Fri, 21 Dec 2012 07:00:00 +0100 http://www.swisstph.ch/news-archive/news/news/biennial-report-2011-2012.html The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute is pleased to present the Biennial Report... Biennial Report 2011-2012. ]]> Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.swisstph.ch/news-archive/news/news/new-oral-drug-candidate-for-african-sleeping-sickness.html Phase II/III Clinical Trial with significant involvement of Swiss TPH launched in the Democratic... A new oral only treatment for sleeping sickness has entered Phase II/III clinical study in patients with late stage sleeping sickness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and soon in Central African Republic (CAR).
The study, conducted by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Swiss TPH and other partners, will test the efficacy and safety of fexinidazole, with once daily tablets for ten days. Professor Marcel Tanner, Director Swiss TPH and chair of the board of Directors of DNDi emphasized that this study represents one of many important collaborations between Swiss TPH and DNDi. Sleeping sickness – or human African trypanosomiasis – is fatal without treatment. Spread by the bite of a tsetse fly, the disease threatens the most remote areas of 36 sub‐Saharan African countries and, while currently in a period of decline, is known to re‐emerge to epidemic levels when surveillance efforts wane. Children below 15 years of age represent nearly a quarter of current patients and DRC alone accounts for the majority of reported cases throughout Africa. Current treatments for stage 2 of the disease – or late stage, when the parasites cross the bloodbrain barrier – are difficult to administer as they require infusions that are only possible within a hospital infrastructure, in addition to the heavy transport necessary to get them there. Patients living far from this type of structure often have to travel for days, even by foot, to access treatment centres. ‘This is a major step in research and development for neglected tropical diseases. It shows that it is possible to bring a new chemical entity through the pipeline to offer an entirely new perspective on tackling a disease like sleeping sickness’, comments Dr Bernard Pécoul, DNDi’s Executive Director. ‘It is by connecting all of our partners in the endemic countries and around the world with the support of engaged donors – all with a common goal – that we can and will continue to search for adapted treatments for these diseases’, he added. Fexinidazole is the first success of the extensive compound mining efforts pursued by DNDi within the nitroimidazole project initiated in 2005 to explore new and old nitroimidazole drug leads. The objective is to progress fexinidazole through this pivotal Phase II/III study in order to register the drug as a new treatment for stage 2 sleeping sickness caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei (T.b.) gambiense, as well as for stage 1 sleeping sickness and sleeping sickness caused by T.b. rhodesiense. If ultimately successful, fexinidazole would be the first oral treatment to be used for both stage 1 and stage 2 sleeping sickness, thereby replacing the complicated diagnosis and treatment paradigm, which includes systematic lumbar punctures of every diagnosed patient to determine the stage of the disease before deciding which treatment to administer.
‘This new chemical entity gives us hope of a drastically simplified way to care for our patients’, said Dr Wilfried Mutombo, National Human African Trypanosomiasis Control Programme , DRC, Investigator and Coordinator of the fexinidazole trial. ‘In addition, the investments made into renovating the laboratories and hospital wards, training personnel, and introducing adapted technologies that allow us to report in real time on each patient, has elevated an entire group of dedicated professionals to international clinical research standards’, he added. The study was initiated and is conducted by DNDi in collaboration with the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and the Human African Trypanosomiasis national control programmes of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic, in addition to collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi and DNDi co‐develop the drug: DNDi is responsible for preclinical, clinical, and pharmaceutical development, while Sanofi is responsible for the industrial development, registration, and production of the drug at its manufacturing sites. Recruitment for the study will include 510 patients at five clinical sites in DRC and one site in Central African Republic. About the fexinidazole study The efficacy and safety study is a pivotal, non‐inferiority, open, multi‐centric and randomized Phase II/III study. The treatment regimen for fexinidazole will consist of 1 dose of 1800mg (3 pills) once a day for the first 4 days and 1 dose of 1200mg (2 pills) once a day for the following 6 days (10 days in total). The reference treatment, NECT, which will be administered for 10 days as well, with 3 oral administrations per day of nifurtimox for 10 days in combination with 2 intravenous infusions per day of elfornithine (2‐hours long each) for 7 days. Two‐thirds of patients will receive fexinidazole, and one‐third will receive NECT. The study will measure the safety and efficacy of fexinidazole, with NECT as the active comparator. NECT is currently the first‐line treatment for stage 2 of the disease, which notably has replaced since 2009 the toxic arsenicbased melarsoprol. The protocol for the fexinidazole study was reviewed by an international ethics working group convened by the Société Française et Francophone d’Ethique Médicale (SFFEM) with WHO support, before being approved by the national authorities and the MSF ethics committee. Support for the study This project is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the British Department for International Development (DFID), the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MAEE), the GIZ on behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and other individual donors. About sleeping sickness
Sleeping sickness (or human African trypanosomiasis, HAT), which threatens millions in 36 countries in sub‐Saharan Africa, is fatal if left untreated. The disease is caused by parasites transmitted by the bite of a tsetse fly and is often asymptomatic for years (stage 1) until the infection reaches stage 2, where it crosses into the central nervous system and brain. Currently, prior to treatment, the stage of the disease must be determined using a diagnostic spinal tap to extract cerebrospinal fluid from the patient. About DNDi The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not‐for‐profit research and development organization working to deliver new treatments for neglected diseases, in particular sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, specific helminth (filarial) infections, malaria, and paediatric HIV. Since its inception in 2003, DNDi has delivered six treatments: two fixed‐dose antimalarials (ASAQ and ASMQ), nifurtimox‐eflornithine combination therapy (NECT) for late‐stage sleeping sickness, sodium stibogluconate and paromomycin (SSG&PM) combination therapy for visceral leishmaniasis in Africa, a set of combination therapies for visceral leishmaniasis in Asia, and a paediatric dosage form of benznidazole for Chagas disease. DNDi has helped establish three clinical research platforms: Leishmaniasis East Africa Platform (LEAP) in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda; the HAT Platform based in Africa for sleeping sickness; and the Chagas Clinical Research Platform in Latin America. www.dndi.org Media contact: Violaine Dällenbach, Press & Communications Manager, vdallenbach@dndi.org Tel: +41 22 906 92 47 / Mobile: +41 79 424 14 74 ]]> Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:43:00 +0100