The Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas: a history of partnership
The decision in 1987 by the pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co. to provide Mectizan® (ivermectin) free of charge to river blindness control programs has challenged the international public health community to find effective ways to distribute the drug to rural populations most affected by onchocerci...
Published in: | Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English Spanish Portuguese |
Published: |
Pan American Health Organization
1998
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1590/s1020-49891998000600002 https://doaj.org/article/d630663551744707a62bdccb88a55a25 |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:d630663551744707a62bdccb88a55a25 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:d630663551744707a62bdccb88a55a25 2023-05-15T15:10:36+02:00 The Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas: a history of partnership J Blanks F Richards F Beltrán R Collins E Álvarez G. Zea Flores B Bauler R Cedillos M Heisler D Brandling-Bennett W Baldwin M Bayona R Klein M Jacox 1998-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1590/s1020-49891998000600002 https://doaj.org/article/d630663551744707a62bdccb88a55a25 EN ES PT eng spa por Pan American Health Organization http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1020-49891998000600002&lng=en&tlng=en https://doaj.org/toc/1020-4989 1020-4989 doi:10.1590/s1020-49891998000600002 https://doaj.org/article/d630663551744707a62bdccb88a55a25 Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, Vol 3, Iss 6, Pp 367-374 (1998) Medicine R Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 article 1998 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1590/s1020-49891998000600002 2022-12-31T14:50:42Z The decision in 1987 by the pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co. to provide Mectizan® (ivermectin) free of charge to river blindness control programs has challenged the international public health community to find effective ways to distribute the drug to rural populations most affected by onchocerciasis. In the Americas, PAHO responded to that challenge by calling for the elimination of all morbidity from onchocerciasis from the Region by the year 2007 through mass distribution of ivermectin. Since 1991, a multinational, multiagency partnership (consisting of PAHO, the endemic countries, nongovernmental development organizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as academic institutions and funding agencies) has developed the political, financial, and technical support needed to move toward the realization of that goal. This partnership is embodied in the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA), which is supported by the River Blindness Foundation (RBF) and now by the Carter Center. OEPA was conceived as a means of maintaining a regional initiative to eliminate what is otherwise a low priority disease. Since its inception in 1993, the OEPA has provided more than US$ 2 million in financial, managerial, and technical assistance to stimulate and/or support programs in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela, so as to take full advantage of the Merck donation. Now halfway into a five-year, US$ 4 million grant provided through the Inter-American Development Bank, the OEPA's capacity to support the regional initiative is assured through 1999. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública 3 6 367 374 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English Spanish Portuguese |
topic |
Medicine R Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
spellingShingle |
Medicine R Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 J Blanks F Richards F Beltrán R Collins E Álvarez G. Zea Flores B Bauler R Cedillos M Heisler D Brandling-Bennett W Baldwin M Bayona R Klein M Jacox The Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas: a history of partnership |
topic_facet |
Medicine R Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
description |
The decision in 1987 by the pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co. to provide Mectizan® (ivermectin) free of charge to river blindness control programs has challenged the international public health community to find effective ways to distribute the drug to rural populations most affected by onchocerciasis. In the Americas, PAHO responded to that challenge by calling for the elimination of all morbidity from onchocerciasis from the Region by the year 2007 through mass distribution of ivermectin. Since 1991, a multinational, multiagency partnership (consisting of PAHO, the endemic countries, nongovernmental development organizations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as academic institutions and funding agencies) has developed the political, financial, and technical support needed to move toward the realization of that goal. This partnership is embodied in the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA), which is supported by the River Blindness Foundation (RBF) and now by the Carter Center. OEPA was conceived as a means of maintaining a regional initiative to eliminate what is otherwise a low priority disease. Since its inception in 1993, the OEPA has provided more than US$ 2 million in financial, managerial, and technical assistance to stimulate and/or support programs in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela, so as to take full advantage of the Merck donation. Now halfway into a five-year, US$ 4 million grant provided through the Inter-American Development Bank, the OEPA's capacity to support the regional initiative is assured through 1999. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
J Blanks F Richards F Beltrán R Collins E Álvarez G. Zea Flores B Bauler R Cedillos M Heisler D Brandling-Bennett W Baldwin M Bayona R Klein M Jacox |
author_facet |
J Blanks F Richards F Beltrán R Collins E Álvarez G. Zea Flores B Bauler R Cedillos M Heisler D Brandling-Bennett W Baldwin M Bayona R Klein M Jacox |
author_sort |
J Blanks |
title |
The Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas: a history of partnership |
title_short |
The Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas: a history of partnership |
title_full |
The Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas: a history of partnership |
title_fullStr |
The Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas: a history of partnership |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas: a history of partnership |
title_sort |
onchocerciasis elimination program for the americas: a history of partnership |
publisher |
Pan American Health Organization |
publishDate |
1998 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1590/s1020-49891998000600002 https://doaj.org/article/d630663551744707a62bdccb88a55a25 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, Vol 3, Iss 6, Pp 367-374 (1998) |
op_relation |
http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1020-49891998000600002&lng=en&tlng=en https://doaj.org/toc/1020-4989 1020-4989 doi:10.1590/s1020-49891998000600002 https://doaj.org/article/d630663551744707a62bdccb88a55a25 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1590/s1020-49891998000600002 |
container_title |
Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
container_volume |
3 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
367 |
op_container_end_page |
374 |
_version_ |
1766341598797365248 |