Newsroom
Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium workshops in Kenya and Uganda
In August, two workshops were held in Kenya and Uganda, bringing together members of the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium’s Access Team in person for the first time since the launch of the ADOPT program.
Held over two full days in both countries, representatives from the following Consortium collaborators participated in the workshops:
Kenya
Division of Vector Borne & Neglected Tropical Diseases at the Ministry of Health | Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) | African Institute for Health and Development (AIHD) | Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) |SCI Foundation (SCIF) | Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Uganda
Bilharzia & Worm Control Program, Vector Borne & NTDs Control Division at the Ministry of Health | Makerere University School of Public Health | Swiss TPH | SCIF | TUM
With the Access Team focused on identifying approaches to ensure widespread acceptance and equitable access to the Consortium's pediatric treatment across endemic countries (once registered), key discussion points included:
- Implementation research studies and design
- Implementation strategy development: review and assessment of existing platforms & delivery options for selection
- Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) structures, tools and resources for adaptation
Commenting on the sessions, co-lead of the Access Team, Nadia Ben Meriem (SCIF) said: “As the first face-to-face meetings since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the workshops have been a key highlight of the year to date for the Consortium’s Access Team. Meeting in person has made a significant difference in progressing our work as a team, helping to strengthen relationships and commitments.”
As a follow-up to the meetings, the Access Team is working to finalise the Implementation Strategy and M&E framework, whilst also completing the research protocol for the social science study.
A third Access Team workshop is scheduled to take place in Côte d’Ivoire on 7 & 8 October 2021.