• Around 15% of the Sudan’s population suffers from schistosomiasis
Representatives of the German pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company Merck
and the World Health Organization (WHO) today launched the 2013
campaign to fight schistosomiasis in Sudan. This is the first time that
Sudan is benefiting from Merck’s praziquantel donation to WHO.
All in
all Merck has provided WHO with a total of six million praziquantel
tablets for large-scale treatment of schistosomiasis in the country. The
total value of the medicines is around 2.4 million Sudanese pounds
(more than € 400,000). Merck’s donation program is a core element of the
company’s social commitment and a contribution towards improving health
care in developing countries.
Schistosomiasis
is widespread in Sudan. According to WHO, an estimated 5.8 million
people in Sudan – around 15% of the total population – require
treatment; the majority of those infected are children. Praziquantel is
the only active ingredient with which all forms of schistosomiasis can
be treated. Since praziquantel is also well-tolerated, it is also on the
WHO list of essential drugs. According to WHO, this therapy is
considered the most effective treatment in the fight against this
parasitic worm disease.
The
distribution of the medicine in Sudan was officially launched this
morning in the presence of the Governor of Gezira State, Professor
Elzubair Bashir, officials from the Ministry of Health and the German
Embassy, as well as representatives from Merck and WHO in the El
Mussallamia School in the state Gezira, more than 150 kilometers
southeast of Khartoum. During the campaign in Gezira, 17 Administrative
Units will be targeted by mass treatment with about 1.6 million tablets.
Mass treatment with around 4.4 million tablets will also be
administered in many schools in the states of Khartoum, Gedarif,
Kassala, and North Kordofan. Depending on their height, the children
receive between one and five tablets. In order to effectively fight the
disease, treatment must be repeated several times in yearly intervals.
“The
Merck Praziquantel Donation Program is an important part of our social
commitment to Africa,” says Frank Gotthardt, Head of Public Affairs at
Merck and responsible for the donation program. “Since we want to fight
schistosomiasis in a sustainable manner, we have committed to
maintaining our efforts in collaboration with WHO until the disease has
been eliminated in Africa.” In total, 28 million children have been
treated to date through the Merck Praziquantel Donation Program. Since
2007, Merck has been providing WHO annually and free of charge with up
to 25 million tablets containing the active ingredient praziquantel. In
the medium term, the company will increase that number tenfold to 250
million per year. The donation commitment for the entire continent is
worth around €17.2 million Euros (over 102 million Sudanese pounds) per
year.
The
Under Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Isam M. Abd
Allah, welcomed the Merck donation, stating: “After malaria,
schistosomiasis is considered the most prevalent tropical disease in
Africa. This worm disease is also widespread among children in Sudan.
Merck's commitment not only helps infected children, but also supports
our public health care system.”
Dr.
Dirk Stockhausen, chargé d’ affaires of the German Embassy in Khartoum,
welcomed the donation by the German company Merck as an excellent
example of cooperation between private business, WHO and Sudanese
federal and state authorities.
The
Minister of Health of Gezira State Dr. Elfatih Malik and the Minister
of Health of Khartoum State Dr. Mamoun Homaida explained that untreated
patients often suffer from serious health consequences that cause a
great deal of unnecessary suffering and incur high costs.
Anshu
Banerjee, WHO representative in Sudan, said: “The World Health
Organization has set itself the goal of controlling or eliminating
neglected tropical diseases, among them schistosomiasis, by 2020 in
order to improve and save the lives of hundreds of millions of people
around the world. Therefore, we welcome every sustainable initiative
that supports our efforts in the fight against tropical diseases.”
Distributed by the African Press Organization on behalf of Merck KGaA
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