The Neglected Tropical Disease Support in Laos project assists the Ministry of Health in maintaining effective control of two prevalent neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) — schistosomiasis (snail fever) and soil-transmitted helminths (intestinal worms) — and institutionalizing a sustainable, government-funded NTD response.
FHI 360 assists the ministry’s partners (including the Department of Communicable Disease Control; the Center for Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology; and the Ministry of Education and Sports) with maintaining:
- Effective control of schistosomiasis, based on World Health Organization guidelines, including the delivery of annual mass drug treatments throughout the endemic area, as well as the implementation of required surveillance to track the impact of mass drug administration and the status of the disease
- Effective control of soil-transmitted helminths, based on World Health Organization guidelines, including supervision of mass drug administration, refresher training for program managers in schools and the implementation of required surveillance to track the impact of mass drug administration and the status of the disease
- Strong collaborations and efforts to ensure long-term program sustainability, through annual stakeholder meetings and other efforts
The project targets NTD endemic areas: the Champasak province for schistosomiasis and the Attapu, Houaphan, Louangphabang, Salavan and Vientiane provinces for soil-transmitted helminths. The project also works in the capital of Vientiane to provide national-level technical assistance and to advocate for domestic resource allocation for the NTD program.
