Report on the epidemiological evaluation and public health: August 1977

L{' From: Dr B. Thy ocP/sPr/o Retz EPt/a/77 To; I\[r. Ifarc ls. Bazin Prog:=n'me Dj-rector Date: t /g/llleforsU.AGADOUGOU REPORT ON fI{E EPIDEVIIOIOGICAI EVAIUATION A}TD PUBI.IC IMAITH AUGUST 1977 The raiqy season is a peri-od. of planni:rg for the Dpidemiological Evaluati-on Urrit ard no field surreys have been conducted. duri-r1g August. A basic analysj-s of data, collected d.urilg the prerrious dry season, is 5eing done in Ouagad.ougou, together with plan:aing of actiyities for the rest of 1977. The staff situation of the Urrit has changed significarrtly si-nce a few months, r,rhich will i-nfluence the plan of action for the next dry season. Person:re1 The forner chief of Unit, Dr P. I(rHner, left Ouegadougou at the end of his contract on the 9th of August 1977, Dr U. Brinim,:rrn, parasj-tologist of the second field evaluation teau, also Ieft the Progzamne in the begirurilg of August, after trro years of service with OCP. He w-i11 be replaced by Dr Ormar Ba, urho has already had a two-months period. of consultanship with the Programme. Ihe present staff situatj-on is : Dr Th4plefors, returned from annual leave >/g/ll Dr ?rost, returned. fz'om aruoual leave 26/8/77 Dr Ba, will be recru-Lted as from the 2Oth of September 1977 Prof. Pairaul-t, lvill retrrrrr from arrnr.:aI leave at the end of September 1977 Mr. Akribas is er1 arrnual leave til the end of Septeraber 1977 Visitors lWr. J. Steele, jouznallst from the New York Iimes. Mr. D. trnnr jouznalist firou the Los Angoleo files, was j-nforned about the activities of the Urdt, and a visit was arrailged on the 16th August 197"1. Dr tr'. Shattock, consultant for publlc health planni-ng was briefed about the epidemlo- logical evaluation of OCP, especially irr Upper Volta and Ghana. COrnmentS Field. evaluation Ihe basj-c epideaiological survey of the Programme area is complete, with the exception cf Ben:in. The evaluati-on progr€rnme has already been initiated. in Benin, and field suffeys will start again i-n November, after prospecti-on j.n the field in order to find aad select suitable vi11a6es. The detailed evaluation in Beni:e will aaa 't- , -2- , consist of at least five villages, on the assr-r:nption that a consultarrt ophthahoolo- gist will be available. Contacts have been taken with VCU, in orrder to link entomo- logical artd rnedical data for villages of special interest. The principles for the future epidemiological evaluation, arrd. the selecti-on of villages for the second passage, were d.iscussed during. th.e S.Al.meeting in Jr.me in Geneva. A cletailed proposal from EPI (Prrcst, OCP/SAP/77/\$P/15) was presented.. A second survey in accozdance lvith these criteria vrill start towerlls the end of 1i'l'1, but for the detailecL evaluation not before Februiry 1978t to obtain a three year inte:rral. Data ana\ysi-s The processing and sto-rage of data collected by EPI for the corcputer in Gcneva has been internrpted because of the staff situation, ttrere being no statistician or clerk available at present. All efforts are being made to recruit a new statisticiart as soon as possible, as the computer progra-romes for the three year foIlow-up must be filalized in a fevr, months time. Chemotherapy The final follow-up of the pa-tients treated with levarnizole +/- nn} will talre place in Dissin at the end of September. The Nifurbi-r.rox trials foreseen in coopera- tion r,yith Centre l',lts:aze are still untLer consicleration arecl submitted to the WHO Conruiittee for ethical questions. Treatracnt rvith lletrifonatc tablets in a ville€e near Ouagad.or:gou, prrcbably Wayen, vyil} be carried. out by DPI staff. The aj-n is to find out if l'ietrj-fonate given inter- mittent\y vrill reduce the intensity of infection to a tolerable level" The Tamale Centre is in action with drtrg trials since i',lay this /€&rr So far, EPI has only given some assistance concerni:rg equipment. The ophthalmological evaluation of the treatment given sti11 constitutes a problem, as the ophtharlnologist from the Royal Coruaomvealth Societir for the B1ind will be entire\y occupiecl by his field work within shortly, as the dry season wilf start. The present staff situation ix EPI cloes not permit ar5r assistance to the T:tna1e Centre.