Act | East at COR-NTD & ASTMH 2023

Thursday, October 19th

8:00 – 9:45 AM U.S. Central Time Zone

Grand Hall L – Ballroom Level (East Tower)

Reaching indigenous populations with NTDs interventions

• Symposium Organizer: Upendo Mwingira, RTI International, Washington DC, USA

• Co-Chair: Margaret Baker, Georgetown University, USA

• Addressing barriers of community participation and access to MDA for trachoma using participatory approaches in a pastoral conflict area of Kenya, Doris Njomo, KEMRI

• How to gain entry to and empower communities to deliver MDA to NTDs: A case study of the Maasai population in Tanzania, Stella Mwita, WI-HER, Tanzania

• Building back trust for Yaws MDA after COVID in “custom villages” in Vanuatu, South Pacific, Fasiha Taleo, WHO

• Overview of the literature in delivering campaigns to Minority populations, Margaret Baker, Georgetown University, USA

• Implementation of Onchocerciasis MDA in Yanomami Communities in Venezuela, Oscar Noya, Venezuela

10:15 AM – 12:00 PM U.S. Central Time Zone

Grand Ballroom A - Ballroom Level (East Tower)

Reaching conflict affected areas for neglected tropical diseases, malaria, and polio - barriers to elimination

• Symposium Organizer: Michael French, RTI International, Washington DC, USA

• Conflict-affected and fragile states – setting the scene, Liz Hume, Alliance for Peace Building

• Reaching conflict affected areas, lessons from Polio, Babar Khan, RTI International

• Impact of insecurity on malaria in Tigray, Ethiopia, Hiwot Solomon, Ministry of Health, Ethiopia

• Implementing a lymphatic filariasis program during conflict, natural disasters, and political instability, Farah Momprevil, Ministry of Health, Haiti

• Adapting Conflict Sensitive approaches to trachoma in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, Henis Sitoe, Ministry of Health, Mozambique

Poster Session A | 11:30 AM – 1:15 PM U.S. Central Time Zone

Riverside Center – Exhibit Level (East Tower) and Grand Hall GHI

Building the capacity of National Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Facilitators to improve NTD MDA outcomes

• Presenter: Stella Mwita, WI-HER, USA

Impact of Wuchereria bancrofti infection on cervical mucosal immunity of women in Lindi, Tanzania

• Presenter: Inge Kroidl, Medical Center of the University of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany

5:50 – 7:35 PM U.S. Central Time Zone

Grand Hall L – Ballroom Level (East Tower)

The Path to Evidence-Based Action to Reach Those Left Behind by Mass Drug Administration and Vaccination Programs

• Symposium organizer: Alison Krentel, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa

• Co-chair: Dziedzom De Souza, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research

• Reaching those who are left behind in mass public health campaigns: using evidence to generate action, Alison Krentel, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa

• Results from the GAVI zero-dose learning agenda: Bangladesh and Mali experiences, Heidi Reynolds, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

• What can programmatic data tell us about links between never treatment and infection? Molly Brady, RTI International

• The case of cross-border never treatment among countries in the South-East Asia Region, Aya Yajima, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana

Friday, October 20th

Poster Session B | Noon – 1:45pm U.S. Central Time Zone

Riverside Center – Exhibit Level (East Tower) and Grand Hall GHI

Enhancing Timeliness of Reporting for Trachoma Mass Drug Administration (MDA) through Electronic Data Capture (EDC): A pilot study in two districts of Uganda

• Presenter: Edwin Mayoki Andama, RTI International, Kampala, Uganda

Experience on the use of Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) for decision making in Determining Onchocerciasis Transmission in Njombe Town Council

• Presenter: Julius Masanika, RTI International, Tanzania

Integration of assessment of Lymphatic Filariasis morbidity in community-based surveys for the successful elimination of disease in Tanzania

• Presenter: Veronica Kabona, RTI International, Tanzania

Monitoring Trachoma Mass Administration (MDA) using an electronic Supervisor Coverage Tool (SCT)

• Presenter: Joyce Achan, RTI International, Uganda

Understanding the role of population migration in diseases diffusion: Fine-Scale Delineation of Trachoma Prevalence by Confirmatory Mapping in Eleven Districts Contagious to Districts With High Baseline Prevalence in Tanzania

• Presenter: Ambakisye Mhiche, RTI International, Tanzania

Use of biomarkers to monitor trachoma prevalence after implementation of more frequent than annual MDA in Maasai communities in northern Tanzania

• Co-presenter: William Oswald, RTI International, United Kingdom

• Co-presenter: Veronica Kabona, RTI International, Tanzania

From Priority to Practice: Making application of digital platforms for improving Trachoma MDA performance a reality towards addressing End game challenges in Longido, Tanzania

• Presenter: George E. Kabona, National Neglected Tropical Diseases Control Program, Dodoma, Tanzania

Virtual Directly Observed Treatment Pilot during Lymphatic Filariasis Mass Drug Administration

• Presenter: Alain Javel, RTI International, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Saturday, October 21st

Poster Session C | 11:00 AM - 12:45 PM U.S. Central Time Zone

Riverside Center – Exhibit Level (East Tower) and Grand Hall GHI

Addressing the last mile challenge for Onchocerciasis Elimination: Leveraging Digitalized Supervisor Coverage Tool for MDA Improvement and strengthening Community Drug Distributors (CDD) performance in Mahenge Focus, Tanzania

• Presenter: Dorica Burengelo, RTI International, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Better Data, Better Decisions: Using Electronic Data Collection to Advance LF Elimination in Haiti

• Presenter: Carl Renand Fayette, RTI International, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Preventative chemotherapy for Trachoma in mobile and migratory populations: A collaborative approach between countries

• Presenter: Joyce Achan, RTI International, Kampala, Uganda

3:15 – 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time Zone

Results from an enhanced trachoma impact survey in four low prevalence districts of Mozambique, 2022

• RTI presenter: William Oswald, RTI International, London, United Kingdom

4:00 – 5:45 PM U.S. Central Time Zone

Methods for trachoma surveys among mobile and migrant populations of Kween and Bulambuli Districts, Eastern Uganda

• Presenter: Jeremiah Ngondi, RTI International, United Kingdom

Sunday, October 22nd

8:00 – 9:45 AM U.S. Central Time Zone

Grand Hall K - Ballroom Level (East Tower)

Overcoming the challenges of PC-NTD hotspots

• Symposium organizer: Anna Phillips, FHI360

• Co-Chair: Upendo Mwingira, RTI International, USA

• Patterns of individual compliance to anthelmintic treatment for soil-transmitted helminths in Southern Ethiopia over many rounds of mass drug administration, Rosie Maddren, Imperial College

• Schistosomiasis hotspots: defining areas of high-risk through micro-mapping in West Africa, Anna Phillips, FHI360

• Overcoming hotspots for Lymphatic filariasis in Ghana and potential strategies for strengthening surveillance, Ernest K.Mensah, FHI360

• Trachoma Impact & Surveillance – lessons learned from survey failures, Clara Burgert, RTI International

11:30 AM – 1:15 PM U.S. Central Time Zone

Grand Hall K - Ballroom Level (East Tower)

Vector Control and Surveillance: The Role of Entomology in Onchocerciasis and Its Implication for Verification of Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination

• Symposium Organizer: Upendo Mwingira, RTI International

• Co-Chair: Darin Evans, U.S. Agency for International Development

• Vector control and surveillance of onchocerciasis in Uganda: Why there and not everywhere? David Ogutu, Ministry of Health, Uganda

• Recrudescence of Onchocerciasis in Metema sub focus, Ethiopia: Why vector monitoring was critical, Kadu Meribo, Ministry of Health, Ethiopia

• Modeling interventions for interruption of transmission: oncho vs. LF, Edwin Micheal, University of South Florida, USA

• Xenomonitoring for LF: Practical Experience, Sammy Njenga, KEMRI

• Overcoming end game challenges: When is vector control appropriate for oncho and LF and how do countries implement those efforts, Moses Katabarwa, RTI International

12:45 – 2:30 PM U.S. Central Time Zone

Building the capacity of community influencers to increase the equity and impact of Uganda's trachoma response

• Presenter: Dr. Hilda Kyarisiima, Ministry of Health, Uganda