Progress report: April - June 1975

@) t<it:w ocP lPR lT 5.2 ORIGINAI: ENGLISH ONCI{OCERCIASIS CONTROL PROGRAMME IN TITE VOLTA RIVER BASIN AREA Progress Report. Aprll - June 1975 The Onchocerclasls Control Programe in the Volta Rlver BaEtn area lE planned aa a collaboratlve undertaklng between the Participating Governments of Dahmey, Ghana, IvoryCoast,Mall, Niger, Togo and Upper Volta, to be carried out with the aesletance of agenciesl of the unlted Natione syatetr and the support of the internatlonal cormunlty. Ttre main actlvities of the Progrme for 1975 are the contlnuatlon of vector controL operations in the Phase I area, and technical, Loglstic and adoinlstratlve preparaEions for extension of the area of treatDent to lnclude Phase II (the White Volta and its tributarles and the River paka); inltlal steps w111 also be taken to set up the infraetructure for the entmologlcal survei.Llance network for Phase III which covers the entire Progrenrne area. An evaluation of the results of insectlcLde treatment and the efficacy of the entomological surveil.Lance network w111 be undertaken in the latter part of the year. SimilarLy, the sultabllity of the tlpe of alrcraft used for aerial spraying will be reviewed before prePeratlon of the second international tender for the aerial spraying contract comencing inL976, ltre Economic Developuent Unlt will be established. Epidemiological investigationg w111 comence Ln the Phase I area and work w111 be extended to Phase II in Late 1975; the second uoblle epideolological evaluati.on team will be fielded. Training activities, limitedin 1974 to ent@ological and admlnistrative personnel, will be extended to include hydro-blologlcal, oedical and paramedicaL personnel. Construction of the building to house Progrrmne lleadguarters in Ouagadougou is planned. Ttre Progrottne ts carried out by ![IfO as Executing Agency with FAO as Assoclate Agency. Ihe Progr-ime Headquarters located at Ouagadougou under the authority of the Prograrme Director cmprisee Vector Control, EpideoioLogy and Econo,oic Development Units eupported by Adolnistrative Servlces. Itrls Africa Intercountry Prograrme is backed by a special unit in WIIO headquarters, whlch hae responsibllity for all research activities related to the Prograrnme. A number of I{HO and FAO etaff members also contribute to the activities of the Programe. (The presentation of the quarterly Progress reports follows the order of the maln budget headings followed by the activities financed under the UNDP project nr:mber RAF|74/OO4. A rePort on econmic development activities w111 be annexed at six monthly intervals. ) 1 united Ihe United Nations Development Progranme, the Food and AgricuLture 0rganization of the Natlone, the llorLd Bank and the I{orld Health Organization. ocPlPR|Ts.2 PaEe 2 A. PROGRAI"IME HEADQUARTERS 1. Vector control activities continued in the Phase I area and by the end of June 20 aeriallarviciding treatment circuits had been carried out on the Black Volta, Como'd-L6raba and the Bandama rivers and their tributaries in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Upper Volta, and t5 circuits on the River Banifing and its tributaries in the Republic of MaI-i. In view of the excellent resuLts on the BLack Volta, treatments trere suspended for three weeks in June. 2. The aerial- l-arviciding operations in MaLi were temporarily suspended at the end of May when the Civil Aviation Authority withdre$/ pe::mission for ai-rcraft to fly from Korhogo toSikasso. Following discussions with officials of the Government of Mali, operations resumedin early June. However, the importance of the continuity of lnsecticide treatments cannot be over-eophasized. 3. ConsiderabLe effort was concentrated on the setting up of the infrastructure requiredfor Phase II of the operations wtrich is due to corunence in November L975. Ihe six phase II sub-sectors - Ouagadougou, L6o, Tenkodogo, Tamale, Yendi and Bolgatanga - were operational atthe end of the quarter. 4. The first epidemiological evaluation team continued to survey villages in Upper VoLta andIvory Coast. The Chief of the Unit was appointed and will assume his duties in October. In addition, candidates were selected to fill the posts of Parasitologist, Sociologist and Operatlons Officer in the second evaluation team and will report for duty in mid-August, 1 August and mid-September respectlvely. It is anticipated that the remaining professtonalpost (OphthaLmologist) wilL be filLed during rhe rhird quarrer. (a) Office of the Prograrune Dlrector 5. Seven members of the Scientiflc and Iechnical Advisory Comoittee visited the prograrnme area in trco grouPs from 3O March to 9 April and from 19-28 May, respectively, to review the entomological and epidemiological aspects of the Progrannne. Dlscussions took pLace with Ehe Prograrmre Director and other personnel at Headquarters, Ouagadougou, and vislte were made tothe base of aerial operations at Bobo-Dtoulasso, the entomological evaluation sectors of Bobo and Korhogo, and OCCGE and ORSTOM research workers at Bouak6 (Ivory Coast). Field work of the first epiderniological. eval.uation team was observed in Ivory Coast and Upper Volta. The Prograrune Director subsequently attended the second meeting of the STAC which took place from3-5 June in Geneva, at which the mesrbers reported on their observations (section D para. 102). 6. Fol"lowing discussi.ons with the representative of the Organization of volunteers of the Netherlands, it was agreed that two mechanics and one radio technician would be made availableto the Programnre starting September-October L975. A meeting took place on L4 April betr^7een the Prograrmre Director and the First Secretary the Embassy of canada in ouagadougou regarding Progranune activities. 8. GeneraL discussions took place during the quarter with representatives of Geman bilateral aid in Upper Volta. g, On 16 April, the Progr€unme Director briefed Mr R. E. Wilson and Mr D. M. McDonald pringle of AFRICARE on Prograrune activities in connexion with the economic development projects which AFRICARE is planning to support in Niger and Mal_i. 10. From 25-28 April, Ehe Progr€unme Director participated in the meeting of the River Niger Cormtission at Niamey and, at the request of the Chairman, described the programme actlvities and the results achieved so far. Possible colLaboration with the Conrnlssionts Documentation Centre was discussed with the Executive Secretary of the Corunission and Mr Joyce, TechnicaL Adviser to the Secretary-General subsequently visited the Progranure to obtain further information. 7. of t ocPlPRl75.2 Page 3 11. Durlng hls etay ln Ntaney, the Dlrector had dlscuselone wtth the Mlnleter of Public Health regardlng Prograrme actlvltlee. L2. Mr M. Bazin, WorLd Bank representatlve on the Steering Coumlttee for Onchocerclasls Control in the Volta Rlver Baeln area, visited the Prograuune Headquarters on 12 ltlay where he wae brlefed on progresE achleved ln the different Progranme activlEles. 13. From 9-16 June, Professor Peters, Ilead of the Llverpool (UX) Sctrool of Tropicat Mediclne, vlsited aerlal base at, Bobo-Dloulasso, and the Tanale team, poselblllty of chemotherapeutlc trlals. Department of Parasltology of the the Headquarters of the Prograrmne, the to discuee wlth Progrmne staff the L4. Dr C. De Vllle de Goyet of the Reeearch Centre on Unlverslty of Louvaln, vlslted Prograrnure lleadquarter8 on actlvl.tleE ln progreee and results to date. the Epld€mtology of Disastera, 13 June to obtaln lnforsratton on 15. The Chalrman of the Economtc Develgpment Advlsory Panel, Mr Paul I'tarc Henry, accmpanled by Mr I. Kahnert, hls aselstant at OECD,' and Mr D. Garff of World Bank Headquarters, Washington, vleited the Prograune on L8-L9 June during a tour of the partlclpatlng countries. Working sessLong were held wlth Progrrme staff and fleld representatlvea of the other sponsoring agencles. 15. During the guarter, the Programe'Dlrector had discussions w'ith Government offlclals in Upper Volta and MaLi. In Upper Volta a meeting was held between Progrrnrme etaff, the mtO Repreeentative, and customa offtclale to dlscueg ways of overcomlng the difflculties encountered with the cust@s authorttiea at border crossing posts. As a result of the meetlng, a procedure lilaa drawn up for the passage of Progranrne vehicles carrying supplles. In Mall, theproblems encountered in carrylng out lanrictdlng operations were reviewed, The recrultment of personneL for the entomotoglcal surveillance network, aod hydrological requirements for Ptrase III, were also dlscussed. L7. Contact was maintained wlth the fieLd representatlves of the other sponsoring agencies. 18. A candldate ls under consideration for the post of Econo,nist in the Economic Development Unit. L9. The Adminlstratlve Officer attached to the Programe Directorts office assumed her responsibilttiee on 21 April after a three-week perlod of brleflng at WHO headquarters, Geneva. 20. Informatlon Offlcer: The Info:cmation Officer visited Bobo-DlouLaeso from 14-18 Apri1. The alm of the trlp was to observe and participate in some of the activlties of the Progr,*e, such as aerial and ground surveys and the weekty briefing session attended by entomologists, technicaL officers, Sector and Sub-Sector chiefs and pil.ots to discuss and analyse the data received on the hydrologlcaL, entmological and logistical situatlon ln the varlous regions of the Phaee I zone, on the basls of wtrich the weekts operations are planned. 2L. Tape-recorded interviews were nade wlth members of the Vector Control Unit, and the Chief Pilot of Evergreen llellcopters, wlth a vlew to producing a radio progrrrnme - in Engllsh and French - on the Onchocerclasls Control Programne. 22. Frour L4 June, the Information 0fficer vtslted the World Bank lleadquarters, Iilashington, and the United Nations Development Prograrmre, New York, for brieflng, particularly on the economlc development aspects of the Progra.uure. The opportunity rras taken during the returrrjourney, to have di-scussions with the Director of the Information Division, TIIIO headquarters. t O.garrlration for Economic Cooperation and Development. ocP /PR/75,2 Page 4 23, During the quarter, the Informatlon Offlcer visited the Upper Volta Ministry ofInformation to request studio recording facilities for the radlo progrrmme planned (para. Although the request $ras favourably received, the final decision must ar^rait the return ofDirector of Radio, who was abroad at the tioe. 24. Discussions also took place with the Director General and other personnel of theVolta Valley Authoritiesr to obtaln background information for an article for the April edition of rrOncho Flashtt. 25. A visit was received from the FAO Regional Informatlon Offtcer for Africa who wasprovi.ded with materlal for articles and radio progrenmes for the news uedia in the FederalRepublic of Germany, and who was accompanied to a village in the Upper Volta to observe the ravages caused by onchocerciasis. Other visi.tors included an Information Officer from Wor1d Bank Headquarters, Washington, and an American freelance journalist gathering material forthe rfSmithsonianrr publication. 26. Ttre preparation and widespread distribution of the monthly news bulletin rrOncho Flaahl continued during the quarter. The l,Iorld Bank press release concerni.ng the signing of thc Onchocerciasis Fund Agreement oo 7 May was reiesued in the seven participati.ng countries and obtained wide coverage in Upper Volta. 27. Contacts were also opened or maintained during the quarter with various officials aad authorities connected with the inforoation media ln Upper Volta, as well as with represenEatives of other Lnternational agencles. (b) Adninistrative Services Unit 28. Ttrroughout the quarter, the different sub-units of the Administrative Services continued to bring their logistic support to the Prograrrme activities. Considerable effort was directed towards the setting up of the infrastructure required for Phase II and at the end of June vehicles and equipment were in place. Ihe medical examination, selection and recruitment of local personneL for the Sub-Sectors was carried out and 45 staff members were appointed. 29. Mr Beigbeder, Personnel Adninistrator froo WHO headquarters visited the programue from 5-14 May to investigate eopLoyaent and living condi-tions. 30. Messrs Manger and Sclmidkunz from the Management Unit,IfIIO headquarters, arrLved on 30 June to conduct a management survey of the Progranrme administrative services withparticular reference to vehicles and supplies. 31. Special periodical medical examinations were lnitiated for staff members exposed to the dangers of parasitic diseases. 32. Personnel: Miss M. Desbois, Admini-strative Officer attached to the Progranrme Directorrs office, reported for duty on 21 Apri1. Mr H. Ocran assuued his duties with the VecEor Control Unit as Sector Chief, Ouagadougou, on L4 ltay L975. Mr It. Orain and Mr G. Binz, Technical Officers, reported on 10 and L6 June respecti.vely, to take up posts in the Vector Control and Epidemlological Evaluation Units. Mr Binz was assigned to the first epideniological evaluation tean to replace the Technical Officer who r^ras proceeding on study 1eave. 33. Ttre detachment of five Ghanaian candidates for the posts of Sub-Sector chlef was obtained from the Governoent of Ghana. 1 A,rtorit6 des Am6nageoents des Va116es des Volta. 2L). the ocP IPR.I7 s.2 Page 5 34. ltre stafflng positlon as aE 3O June was as follows: (1) Profeesional staff No. of positlons authorized to date No.?r rr filled No. rr rr for which candidates have been nominated or selected (ii) General Service 35 28 No. of positions authorized to date No. rr It f iLled No. rt rr for which candidates have been nmlnated or seLected 420 344 5 L 35. ltre geographlcal distributlon of the staff of the Prograrnrne as at 30 June was as follows: Nationale of partlctpating and other Afrlcan countrlee 93.77" Natlonals of other countrles 6.37. 36. Of the 344 General Servlce etaff actually eoployed, most of whom were lnitially hlred on short-terr contracts, 189 have now recelved a contract for one year or oore. 37. During the quarter, 10 drivers co,npleted the drivers training course and it ls planned to rotate Ouagadougou drivers to enable others in the field to participate in the course. 38. A total of 36 eoployees enrolled for the English classes in Ouagadougou; classes also started in Bobo-Dioulasso for etaff members in that area and it is hoped that siuilar classes may be organized for field staff in other Sectors. 39. During the period under review, the Personnel Officer visited SecEors in Upper Volta, Ivory Coas.t and Ghana to discuss personnel matters and review recruitment status. tf . Supplies and equlpment: Ttre Supply Officer travelled extensively in the Progranme area to eupervise dellveries of material, verify lnventories, contact suppllers, etc. 4L. Arrangeoents lrere concluded with Mobil O11 in Ghana for the credit purchaee of petrol in the Northern region. As no refuelllng facilitles are available on the spot, a shuttle run was organized to provide gasoline to the L6o Sub-Sector. 42. Organization of prograrme-wide vehicle repair faciLlties is progressing with the agsistance of two British volunteer mechanics. Repair facillties at Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso \rere improved by the purchase of sme basic garage equlpment. Ihe vehlcle logbook prepared during the first quarter was printed and distributed. 43. Vehicles and equlpment rilere distributed to the Phase II Sub-Sectors. Tventy-two Landrovers were received in the Prograrme area and of these 12 were delivered to the Tamale Sector. 44. Ttre dietributlon in the Prograrnrne area of the first delivery of insecticlde (2O OOO litres of Abate) was co,mpleted. ocP lPRlT 5.2 Page 6 45. A total of 37 shipments was received and cleared through custons. 46. Budget and finance: Arrangements were made for per dieo clai.ms for General Service staff to be dealt with at the Sector level. Sinilarly, leave cards were distributed to supervisors for manageoent. 47. Arrangements have been made for the insurance of cash in safes and in transit. 48. InstaLl-ations: (i) Ouagadougou: An agreement was signed with ASECM1 for the super- vision of the construction of the Prograrune Headquarters, and a consultant was engaged to review the ASECNA submission. Reconstruction of the garage began during the quarter and is neari.ng co,mpletion. 49, (ii) Sectors: Work began on the construction of the Bole and Yendi Sub-Sector offices. Leases were signed for the Ouagadougou Sector and Sub-Sector offices and for the Bobo-Dioulasso Sector garage. Ihe Ouagadougou Sector office was.subsequentLy furnished and occupied. Ihe Sub-Sector of Tenkodogo was opened in early June. Construction of the garagefor the Korhogo Sector is stlIl pending receipt of written agreeoent from the owner of the land. 50. Ttre plans for the Tamale Sector/Sub-Sector offices were reviewed with a consuLtant(see para. 48) and were submitted to the Ghanaian authorities for approvaL. Ttre land for the complex has not yet been officially granEed. On the other hand, an excellent site hae been provided for the hangar for which plans have been drawn up. 51. Material was purchased for the construction of 28 huts in 28 villages to be used as storage depots and working quarters for the field personnel of the Vector Control Unit. B. VECI0R CONTROL OPERATIONS 52, During the quarter the Phase II area was completely surveyed. flight plans and construction of insecticide and fuel stores began. The preparation of 53. At the onset of the rains, larviciding operations were extended to rivers which hadpreviously been dry, such as the Upper Bandama, Bougouriba, Iringou, Koulda, Kamba and Nzi. 54. Savings in insecticide and flight hours were made in June by discontinuing aerial treatment of a 1-arge otretch of the middle Black Volta, where entmological evaluations indicated it was safe to do so. 55. The results of larviciding treatments during this period were satisfactory. However,large numbers of flies appeared on the Bou, the niddLe white Bandana and parts of the L6raba which were considered to be due to a re-invaslon of adult flies frm outside the prograrme area. A thorough investigatlon of the situation was carried out using all possible resources, includlng ground and aerial surveys. Detailed ex:mination of all available meteorological data is being made to ascertain whether the re-invasion could be a result offreak weather conditions. 56. A meeting took place in June between the Director-General of HeaLth of Ivory Coast, theSecretary General of the AVB, and OCCGE, ORSTOM and Progranme personnel, regarding theprotection of the site of the future dam of Taabo. (a) Aerial operations 57. During the quarter a telex machine was Evergreen Ilelicopters; this has considerably operations. 1 A.sucNA, Agence pour Ia Securit6 de la installed at Bobo-Dioulasso for the use of facilitated the smooth running of the aerial Navigation a6rienne en Afrique et i Madagascar. ocP /PR/7 s .2 Page 7 58. Personnel: The number of gtaff aeslgned by Evergreen Hellcopters totaLled nine at end June (Chlef pllot, four helicopter pilote, one fixed-wlng aircraft pilot and three engineers). 59, Aircra:E!: In addltion to the fleet of three Bell 2O68 heltcopters and one I\rrbo Porter flxed-wing alrcraft whlch was operattonal ln the Progrn"nne area at the end of the first quarter, a fourth rfstand-byrr hellcopter was posltloned by Evergreen to ensure contlnuity of operatlona ln the event of a temporary groundlng of another alrcract. Ttrls helicopter ls aleo avallable to the Prograrnme on a rental basls, if requlred. 60. Avlatton fuel: Avlatlon fuel contlnues to be drumed in AbidJan and sent by rail to Bouak6 and Bobo-Dioulaeso for distrlbutlon by Progr"-e vehi.cles. However, now that a telex has been instal-Led for the use of Evergreen ln Bobo-DlouLasso and the conpany are able to dtrectly contact Mobil, AbldJan, orders for fuel have been met much more promptly, wlth the result that by the end of June the Phase I zone was well stocked and it was possible to start stocking gme of the refuelling points in the Phaee LI zone. 61. Durlng June, a new refuelllng point for helicopters wae opened at Bamboi (Ghana) to facllitate larvicldlng operatlone ln the Bul Reglon of the lower Black Volta. Ttrls brings to 32 the number of refueLling polnts in operatton at the end of June. 62. Durlng June, there was Bone sllght lmproveoent in the quallty of the servi.ce provided by Mobl1 at Bobo-DloulagEo and Ouagadougou alrporte, horrever, the service is stiLL below the standard neceasary for the Bnooth and efflclent operation of Progra'nme aircraft. 63. Radlocmunlcatlone: In additlon to the elght radio statlons operational at the end of the flrgt quarter, two new radlo stationsr were set up at L6o and Yendi. 64. As foreeeen under the contract concluded wlth WHO tn L974, a aiseion from SOFRECOM1 vlsited all the radlo stations in the Progrme area between 13 Aprl1 and 7 May to organize the network, train radio operators, and to check the frequencies. At the request of the Progrsnme Dlrector an information file was prepared on each station. 65. MeteoroLogy: During April, the IntertropicaL Front moved further northwards (11o - 15oNlatitude ln Mali and Upper Volta) and brought rain to much of the southern area of the treatment zone. Violent thunderstorms and squalls, with associated hlgh winds, occurred during the month of May, resulting from unusually cmplex and variable air movements across the whole of North and West Africa. 66. Hydrology: Adjustments to larviciding operations were uade on account of the wet season conditions encountered in much of the Phase I zone. On many rivers, discharge rates increased appreciably resultlng in a better carry of the insecti.cide thus making it possible to reduce the number of treatment polnts and the nuober of flight hours. 67, Data storage and retrteval: As a result of several discusslons on river codings relevant to the recordlng of larviciding data, it was decided that the proposed system(involving 89 river eectlons)z was too cmplex and cumbereome. The eystero has therefore been revlsed and the number of river sections reduced to 65. As far as possible, the linits of rlver sections now colnclde wlth the locations of hydrologlcal statlons. 68. Ttre recordlng of larviciding data on the cooputerized larviciding record sheets will cormence at the beglnnlng of July using the new 65-section river codings. 69. Airetrips: fhe airstrips of Manga, Po and L6o in Upper Volta and Keta Krachi, Nandom, Navrongo, Wa and Yendl in Ghana were surveyed. llith the exception of Nandom, which is under renovation, all these airstrips rilere found in good condition. 1 2 Soci6t6 frangaise oCP/PR/75.1 para. drEtudes et de R6alieations drEquipments de T6l6conrmunications. 7L. ocP lPRl7 5.2 Page 8 70. Using the fixed-wing aircraft, a survey has also been made of the condltions of air-striPs in central Upper Volta, with a view to their use as refuelling points. Airstrips visited and found suitable included Tenkodogo, Garango, Koup6la, Fada NrC,ourma, Zorgo, Boulea, Kaya, Karzousi and Zabr6. 7L. Surveys: A number of surveys were conducted using both helicopEers and fixed-wing aircraft. During the month of June, helicopters were used to search for possible newbreeding sites and to check the efficiency of treatments. 72. The fixed-wing aircraft was used to map the Grechan breeding complex on the L6raba andto survey the main tributaries of the lower Black Votta and the comoe. 73. Ihe Red and l{hite Voltas in Upper Volta and Northern Ghana and the lower tr{hite Vol-ta,lower Daka and lower Oti in Ghana were also surveyed. 74. Revenue hours flown: Itre nr:mber of revenue hours flown during the first six months of 1975 amount to: ( i) Ilellcopters No. of hoursPeriod January - June 1975 ( ii) rr.rrbo-Porter Period guaranteed 922 No. of hours guaranteed No. of hours used rL46.9 No. of hours used January - June 1975 252 L73.L Detalls are given in Table 1 which shows the quantities of Abate expended during larviciding operatlons. (b) Ento,mological surveillance 75. The second quarter was marked by cllmatic changes, being in fact a transition period between the dry and rainy seasons. In April and May this resulted in an increase in the number of potential- breeding sites following a ri.se in the l-evel of the water courses and the resumption of flow in the seasonal rlverbeds. A rise in the rilater teuperature led to a shortening of the biological cycle. In June, rainy season conditlons began to set in throughout the area. 76. Ent@ological surveillance activlties were therefore intensified during this period. In addition to an i.ncrease in the number of capture points (adult catching stations were i.ncreased from 92 to L29), numerous ground and aerial surveys were carried out to locate new breedlng sites and to note the sEart of water flow ln dry rlverbeds. Wlth the establishnent of the Sectors and Sub-Sectors in the Phase II area in June, the entomological surveillance sras extended to that zone. It also covered tributaries of the Bagoe in the Sikasso region, although this was pLanned to be included under Phase III, as well as the Red Bandama which lies outside the Prograrme area. ocP lPRlT 5.2 Page 9 TABLE 1. NT'MBER OF HELICOPTER FLIGITT HOUR,S AND QUANTITIES OF ABATE EXPENDED DURING AERIAL I.ARVICIDING OPERATIONS FIRST SEMESTER 1975 CTI = Ivory Coast; GHA = Ghanal IIVO = Upper Volta; MLI = Mali Week comencing Cyc 1e Flight hours Litres of Abate Countries involved(by code) 10 February L7il 24, 1st 2td 3rd 42.8 41. 1 39.9 1 148.0 1 020.0 847.O HVO, CII and GllA* IttIt SUB-TOTALS 123.8 3 015.O 3 March 10* L7, 24, 31 It 4rh 5rh 6rh 7th 8rh 37 ,3 40.1 43.3 37.7 38.2 877.6 659.4 644.2 604.6 773.L rrtt illlil IM, CTI, Gtr{A and MLI llItltil tlllil SUB.TOTALS L96,6 3 558.9 7 April L4 rt 2Ln 2g, 9rh 10rh 11rh 12rh 36.8 38.8 39.O 40,6 885. 1 798.6 784.8 939.8 llllllll llllllil llltllil llllttil SUB-TOTALS L55.2 3 408.3 5 llay L2r 19, 26'l 13rh 14rh 15rh 15th 4s,2 46.8 48.4 sL.7 I O42.5 1 561.4 L 96L.4 2 t72.6 llltril illlnll rllltlt Iililll SUB-1'OTALS L92. L 6 737.9 2 June grt 16, 23il 17 rh LSrh 19rh 20rh 46.L 41.O 40.6 42.9 L 252.9 L 232.4 L L26.2 1 385.1 illlItll llilItil rililil ItItlln SUB-TOTALS L70.6 4 996.6 TOTALS 838. 3 2L 7L6.7 ocP /PR/7 5.2 PaSe 10 77. The entomol-ogical situation in each Sub-Sector of Phase I developed as follows: (i) Sikasso: Although the situation was considered excellent in this SecEor, the only catches being at Lampasso, it was felt necessary to protect the area by treating the tribu- tarles of the Bagoe in the region of Dougoukourane-Loulouni from the month of April. Despite this precaution, a few feuale flies were captured in the Farako river. This favourable situaEion was mai.ntained in June throughout the Sub-Sector, but an i.ncrease in the catcheg was noted at Lampasso and Kouoro, which, with the resumption of aerial treatments, seemed to have been reduced. It should be noted that this frontier region is partly EreaEed from the ground, which probably explains the temporary revival and brief reappearance in June of a breeding site at Samorossoni. On the advice of the blogeographers, the Bandiagara reglon was surveyed although the rivers had not yet started to flow. No adult catches were recorded. (ii) Bobo-Dioulasso: No major problems were encountered in this Sub-Sector during the quarter. The situation was generally satisfactory and results were ni1 at many catching points. The highest catches were at Samand6ni with 12 females in May and eight in June. In this Sub-Sector, treatments were suspended in June on the Black Volta below Samand6ni for a perlod of three consecutive weeks. (iii; Diebougou: The situation, excel-lent in Apri1, \^ras cortrplicated when the Bougourlba began to flow at the end of Ehe month and a loca1 generation appeared in that river'prior to insecticide treatment. Although catches were very Iow on the Black Volta, most results being negative and the highest yield being five flies, on the Bougouriba Ehe number of fe*aIee captured increased during the month of May. In June, the qrorst site rras Pont de Di6bougou which averaged nearly seven flies per day during nine days'catching. There were no infective flies in this Sub-Sector. (iv) Banfora: Ihe western L6raba began to flow during the quarter and difficulties were encountered at the Pont routier where, with the first rains, the location of breeding sites varied according to the water level. The situation remained excellent in the upper region of the L6raba during the whole quarter, so treatments were suspended on the Tiao and the eastern L6raba during the month of June. IIowever, catches of females were fai.rly frequent in May and June at Lhe Pont routi-er and the Pont du Chemin de Fer. In June, 16 days' catching yielded Ern average of 61 flies per day and 30 infective flies were taken. Dlsap-pointingly, fly numbers held steady throughout the month. (v) Korhogo: The upper part of the Bandama began to flow in April although its secondary tributaries only had water from June. In the lower part of this r,Tatercourse, catches of females were always fairly low (less than five a day) despite the possibility of reinfestation from the Red Bandana and the region of the White Bandama sltuated outside the treatment, area. On the other hand, the middle region of the Bandama and its tributary the Bou were more heavily infested. Catches had already increased in April but rose sharply in May. In June, the White Bandama and the Bou yielded high f1y numbers throughout the month with Chauss6e Niakaramandougou averaging 45 flies per day, the highest figure noted on the White Bandama since the start of treatments. 0n the Bou, lhree sites averaged over 175 flies per day and in both valleys there were numerous infective flies. Tributary streams were generally free from fli.es. Outside the Prograrrme area, the Red Bandana at Chauss6e MandaLa averaged 273 flLes per day for three days I catches. The average age of captured females was high and the number of infected females corresponds to the high average age of the population. IL should be noted that despite increased surveys during thaE period only a few unimportant breeding sites were discovered. A11 known breeding sites had been completely destroyed by the larvicide treatments. In the upper part of the Bandama, a few sites were overlooked in the early treatments. Ilowever, the situation was normal by the end of May. In June, a gror^rth in the Simuliids population had been noted at Nanienavogo and M fBengu6. ocP /PR/7 5.2 Page 11 (vf) Dabakala: In May, the Nrzi began to flow again and ln June water reappeared in thetributaries of the Co,rnots and the upper part of the Ntzi. The situation can be coneidered satisfactory in the Sub-Sector bearing ln oind the difficulties encountered. The catches were nil or very 1ow over the whole ComoE lncluding the stretches downstream on the edge of the Progranrne area. The Grechan slte on the L6raba, to the north of the Sub-Sector, renains a problem as catches of adults contlnued to be recorded particularly in May. In June, due to the inaccessibility of the site, catchlng was euspended. (vii) Bondoukou/Bole: Ihe tributaries of the Black Volta which were dry in rhese two Sub-Sectors, began to flow and in one, the Koulda, a generation of Simuliids developed before treatment etarted. Ttre entomological situatlon ln these trro Sectors is generally good but islargely lnfluenced by the large site at Bui whlch hae not been completely controlled despite all the efforte uade. Ihe nuober of females captured began to lncrease in April in Ehe vicinity of the eite. In June, there were high fly nuobero on the Black VoLta at Abgolekame, Tagadi and Pleye, and on the lower Koulda. Infectlve fliee were taken at lringou and Tehini Pont as well as at the above sites. 78. Phase II: A new Sector was created at Ouagadougou at the end of May. The related Sub-Sectors, Ouagadougou, L6o and Tenkodogo rrere seE up in June and rilere operational at the end of the quarter. In Ghana the Sub-Sectors (yendi, Bolgatanga and Tamale) were opened in mid-June. 79. Ttre list of flxed catching staticins ln these new Sub-sectors rdas dralm up by the entonologist tn charge of the eurvelllance network in collaboration with the Chlefs of the Ouagadougou and Tanale Sectors. The eetabllehment of four catchtng etations ln the north of the Tasrale Sector made lt posslble to etudy the re-lnvasion of the Phase II area whlch took place when water began to flow in the dry rlverbeds to the north of the area. 80. Ttre location of the northernmost actlve breeding sites was established during aerial surveys and checked by ground surveys. 81. Ilr.rrlng the quarter, the Phase (c) Conclusion 82. Larval. control aeems to have Bui and Grechan where the treatment larvae were found eleewhere. II area was corrupletely surveyed by alr. been achieved in the greater part of the area except for techniques failed to elimlnate the breeding sites. No 83. llith the exeeptlon of the Bandi.agara region, feuale fliee were found throughout the Phase I area in varying densities. In one area includlng the Bou, the niddle White Bandema, and the oiddle L6raba, in spite of the absence of larval breedlng sites, a large nuuber of adults were capturedl the age of this population was high. 84. This area lying southwest-northeast, it was thought that the re-invasion occurred frm the southwest (Red Bandama, Saseandra). Surveys were conducted in that area and addltional caEching poLnts rdere slet up by the Korhogo Sector on the Red Bandama. At the same ti.De, in order to identify the species, treatmenta were suspended on a tributary of the Bandama to a11ow the larve to develop to a stage where cytotaxonomic identification could be made. 85. Ttre blogeographers of the Centre for Overseas Pest Research working on a research Project for the Progrrme were requested to study the Deteorological conditions in that area.Ihe lnfective larvae found in the females were sent to the Centre Irluraz for uorphological study by a helminthologist. ocP IPR/7 5.2 Page 12 86. Ttre preliminary results of these studies appeared to indicate that the captured femalesdid not originate from the Red Bandama, the greater part of which was still dry and where the dor.mstream breeding sites were not sufficiently large to justify the re-i.nvasion. Ihe females could not have co,me fro,m the Sassandra where the sites containing the Nile and Slrba,to which the re-invading females belong, are not very productive. The l{hite Bandama, down- stream from the Prograrmne area, could not be the origin as it had only forest cytotypes andNile but no Sirba. 87. Ihe analysis of the meteorological data seemed to indicate that the reinfestation could not have come from the south-west. However, investigations are continuing. C. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL EVALUATION AND PUBLIC HEALTIT T'NIT (a) Epideniological evaluation 88. Sirople and detailed surveys continued to be carried out during the quarter: a simple evaluation was made in 17 villages in Upper Volta and in one village of Ivory Coast. Ttre results are surmarized in Table 2. Detailed surveys were carried out in one viLlage(Beoakaha) of Ivory Coast and in two villages (Mouvielo and Kinp6o) of Upper Volta. In addltion, detailed studies were carried out ln two villages of Northern Ghana (Awrigu and Zongoiri) by the RCSB1 team and the results were entered in the relevant forms and forwarded to headguarters. The work proceeded satlsfactorily during the first two months: good cooPeration uTas received from the nati.onal medical servj.ces and the populations exani.ned showed interest in the work of the Eeam and good collaboration. The activities slowed dovrn durlng the month of June, due to Ehe absence of the ophthalmologist on annual leave, and to the start of the rainy season. 89. lhe methodology for the epideoiological evaluation was discussed and clearly defined inApril r,*ren two staff members, froo the Division of Malaria and Parasitlc Diseases and frm the Health Statistical MethodoLogy unlt, I{HO headquarters, visited the Progranuue area. Itre foros to be used for the two different evaLuations were finaLized. A great deal- of i-nfotmation collected slnce the epideniological eval-uation team started work was entered on the special forms wtrich $rere sent to Geneva for storage and processing. 90. In view of the longitudinal epiderniologieal studies and the necessity of re-examinlng at regular intervals al-L the population of the selected villages, a special form was devi.sed for the population census of vilIages. (b) Public Health 9L. the Public l{ealth Adviser attended, as an observer, the 15th Conference of OCCGE held at Bobo-Dioulasso from 7to 11ApriL. Althoughthe principal subjects to be considered were tubercul-osis and leprosy, other topics discussed included tr)panosomiasis, malaria, onchocerci,asis, schistosomiasis and nutrition. 92. Visits were paid to the Centre de Recherche V6t6rinaire (II"IVT), where a project is being developed for the rearing and sterilization of Glossina sp. for use in the control of tr)panosoniasis, and to the FAO/UNDP agricultur"f p.o5""t at Matourkou. 93. Contact was made with the national healch authorities and international staff in Upper Vo1ta, Ivory Coast, Mali and Ghana. A tour was made of the Bobo-Dioulasso Sector, durlng which public health probleos were discussed with the officials of the national health services. 94. A start was made on the inventory of health resources in the Programme area which wil,L be used in the formulation of realistic propositions concerni.ng the creation of a health infrastructure. 1 Roy.l Cormnonwealth Society for the Blind. ocP IPR/I 5.2 Page 13 FIO(n\tOO <i d lt+. 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T ddlddooooo lrlrlr!!ruo(rooAAAcL.!rooElaDPD55 x = 8 x I:lsd N N d N.l: O\+O(')\OoOoor').SoNNdNN : ! c o a oEI 0ot 'ltr aT' o o tr H xo c o udI)r oA 6 60todud03 E E5So"Ort.lze6.9 f H eAAAC,F{t rdIt o kq, Ar o66 d a oilA I o ! oo d ! o l{ o,ro .n E a(, 6 dkl (!l!(!d !lJUlJddHHoooo l{lrl{k oqrooAA(LILCLTTcLppSb l. o!!6 at oE! o0 tr h .o E IU tr E6 xo c o ! .! d ao oA N(n tstz b I Fft{cA o a4 B H B a EI gI a,b{ hr &56 EI Ffg ti at Eo p FtIl v, tstc .,; B FI EI E ,a C' o ! trd o o0d ! t o ! o) t q, ou ao o d ocP lPRlT 5.2 Page 14 D. WHO HEADQUARTERS SUPPORT UNIT 95. The oain events during the quarter were the thirteenth session of the Steering ComitEee for Onchocerciasis Control in the Volta River Basin area and the second meeting of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Conurittee. Other activities included arrangements for the visits of STAC members to the Prograrmre area, and participation ln an i.nter-agency meeting held by the World Bank in Paris to consider the economic development. aspects of the Progranrnne and to review wiEh the Chairman, Mr PauI Marc Henry, the role of the Economic Development Advisory Panel (EDAP). 96. Ihe Independent Chairman of the Joint Coordinating Cmittee (.lCC), the Director- Consul-tant of OCP/Geneva and the representative of the World Bank to the Steering Committee, participated in an Information Day on Onchocerciasis organized by the Belgian Government on 15 April. Following a presentation of the film rrA Plague on the Landrr, the Chairman of the JCC described the different aspects of the Programme and lts importance for economic develop- ment. The representative of the Bank gave a detailed account of the genesis of the Bankrs role i.n the Prograrme as well as of the financial situation. 97. Ihe opportunity was taken to vislt the Union Chinique Belge (UCB), where discussions took place on chemotherapy and the possibility of the cooperation of UCB in the search for suitable drugs. 98. Ihe Medical Officer recruited to handle epideniological aspects of the Uni.trs work assumed his functions in April. He participated, on behalf of OCP, in the 17th Session of the Advisory Comittee on Medlcal Research which met in Geneva from 23 to 27 June. 99. The EntoEologist/Chemist was detached to oCP, Ouagadougou, during the month of May to replace the Programe Entomologist responsible for entomological surveillance during his annual leave. 1OO. In June, a visit was paid to the Facult6 des Seiences Agronomique, Gembloux, Belgluo, to consider possible future collaboration with OCP, particularly in the field of analysie of insecticides. 101. fhe thirteenth session of the Steering Co,mittee met in UNDP Headquarters, New York, frm 30 April xo 2 l(ay. Discussions centred on econo,mic development activities. Ihe Comittee also reviewed the report by Ecological Panel members on their visit to the Progrrnrnne area, when partieular attention was paid to aquatic monitoring and to data storage and Processing. LOz. In liaison with the Director of the Programe, arrangements were made for seven members of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Comittee to visit the Prograrnme area durlng the first week of April and in late May. A11 aspects of Programme acti.vities were observed and discussed with Programe personnel. Members reported on their visits at the second meeting of the STAC which took place in Geneva from 3 to 5 June. The Courittee also revtewed all ongoing research activities and made a number of recomendations for addltlonal research, particularly in the field of epideuriology and chemotherapy. Ihe meeEing rilas attended by the Programe Director and by members of WHO headquartersr technicaL units collaborating in the Programe. A representative of the World Bank reported to the Cornmittee on economic development activities. Ihe third meeting of the Connnittee is scheduled to take place in March 1976. 103. Visits r,rere made by the Entooologist/Biologist to research institutions and to individual scientific workers in the Federal Republic of Germany, the United States of America and Canada to discuss recent developments and to review possible bases for collabora- tion. In addition, visi.ts were made to research institutions in the Progrr'nme area ocP lPRlT s.2 Page 15 (Ivory Coast and Ghana) to review the work being carried out under agreeurents with trIHO in the fields of aquat.ic monitoring, cytoE{[Konomy, the evaluation of insecticldes, etc. Ln late June, a working group was organlzed in Ouagadougou to revise the Protocol for Aquatic Monitoring. Itre meeting was attended by hydroblologists fro,m Ghana, the United Kingdom and Canada. 104. The Research Coordinating Corunittee established in WIIO to review research proposals submitted to OCP and to decide on the allocation of funds, rnet once during the quarEer.(Further information regarding research activities is included under Sectione E and F. ) 105. A nr.rmber of candidates were approached regarding vacancies in the Programae Epidemio- logical Evaluation Unit and the posts of Chief of the Unit, and Parasitologist, Sociologist and Operations Officer in the second evaluation teao rrere fiIled. 106. Efforts were made to collect all recent publications on onchocerciasis and its control from Scientific Advisory Panel members and other sources. 1O7. In collaboration with the other technical units concerned, a feasibllity study was initiated on the couputerizatlon of OCP epidemiological and entomologlcal data. 1O8. Asststance was given to Evergreen Helicopters Inc. in obtaining a telex machine ln Bobo-Dioulasso. E. APPLIED RESEARCH (ENIOMOLOGY/ECOIOGY) 1O9. In late April and early May, vlsits were made to scientists in the Unlted States of Amerlca and Canada engaged in different aspects of Slmuliun regearch and studies on the aquatlc ecosystem. Recent advances in the development of laboratory colonies of S. damnosum, blologlcal control agents, the long-term effects of Abate on fish and other non-target organisus, as well as the development of aethodologies of practical application in fieLd monltoring, rrere among the subjects reviewed. During these visits, it was evldent that, ln particuLar, the Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, is engaged in research of direct relevance to the Onchocerciasis Control Progranrne. 110. Following discussions bet!'reen representatives of the chemical industry and WHO staff on the development of encapsulated insecticide formulations, it was decided to employ a consultant from the Department of Parasitology of the Tropenmedizinisches Institute, Tllbi.ngerr, Federal RepubLic of Germany, to check the size range of particles ingested by S. damnosum larvae in the Progrenlne area. This uission was undertaken during April. A visit was subsequentLy nade in May to the Tropenmedizinisches Institute to discuss research activities rel.ated to rhe Onchocerciasie Control Programe. Work being undertaken by the Institute includes studies on the laboratory colonization of S. dannosuo, with special emphasis on the hydrocheoical condlttons necessary, and an associ.ated study on the nutritional requirements of the larvae and adults and their influence on egg development and ovlposltlon. 111. Arrangenents are being made to draw up Contractual CDC, Atlanta, and the University of TUbingen for research Technical Agreenents with both the into the establishment of self- perpetuatlng colonles of S. daonosum. LL2. In June, visits were made to institutions i.n Ivory Coast and Ghana where research is being conducted under agreemenEs with WIIO. The research being undertaken by ORSIOM and OCCGE workers at Bouak6, Ivory Coast, on the evaluation of insecticides, sampling of adult and larval populations, aquati.c monitoring, and on the cytotaxonomy of the S. damnosun cooplex, rras found to be progressing satisfactorily. A floating cage for the evaluation of insecticides has been successfully developed as well as artificial attachments for larvae, with which S. damnosum larvae have been found at depths of 1 metrel a variety of trapping ocP lPRlT 5.2 Page 16 methods are also being tried. A field station has been constructed near Bouak6 adjacent to a series of natural S. damnosum sites on the Red Bandama. This river being untreated, the station is also used by the hydrobiologists for collecting data. 113. In the field of aquatic moni-toring, a considerable amounE of research has been under- taken to rationalize the methods recormnended and to develop a system for determining the different groups of insects collected. fhe necessity of adhering to the protocol was eruphasized. It was suggested that a consultant should be engaged to demonstrate the methodology for taking water and mud samples and preserving fish for subsequent analysi.s. It was agreed that standardized record forms would be introduced. 114. Discussions took place regarding the renewal of these research agreements which expire tonards the end of the year, and it was agreed that proposals would be submitted to WHO for consideration by the Research Coordinating Comittee. 115. Arrangements were made for the despatch of S. damnosum eggg to the Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, United States of America, and to the University of llJbingen, Federal Republic of Germany, in connexion wiLh the Contractual Technical Agreements to be concLuded wlth these institutions (para. 111). 116. The system of research reporting and the foruat prepared by OCP Headquarters for this purpose was reviewed. It was agreed that quarterly and annual reports would be provided. lL7. In Ghana, discussions took place at the InsEitute of Aquatic Biology regarding the OCP Monitoring progra'r'me. Various problems regarding personnel, facilities and chemical analysis of waEer, mud and fish, were reviewed. 118. The research proposal submitted to WIIO by the University of Legon on the establishoent of biochemicaL methods for identifying the different cytotypes of S. damnosum tras discuseed with the Department of Zoology. It was agreed that, initially, studies would be undertaken on the variati.on in patterns pertaining to the different species of Sinulium in the area. 119. In late June, a Working Group met in Ouagadougou to revise the protocol for aquatic monitoring. Research workers from the Instltute of Aquatic Biology, Ghana, and ORSIOM, Bouak6, participated in this meeting together with Progr:me personnel and hydrobiologists from Canada and the United Kingdom. The revised protocol is being finalized. LzO. The two biogeographers from the Centre for Overseas Pest Research (COPR), United Kingdom, continued their review of entomological and meteorological data available in the Prograrme area. At the request of Programre personnel, particular attention was pald to meteorological conditions during the quarter to determine their ro1e, if any, in the invaslon of aduLt f1ies. F. APPLTED RESEARCH (EPTDEMTOLOGY/CHEM0THERAPY) AND TRATNTNG: UNDP Projecr No. RAF|T4lcrj,4 (a) Epidemiology/Chemotherapy L2L. Arrangements have been made for the office of Library and I{ealth Literature Services at WHO headquarters, to undertake a systematic and complete search of medical, pharmaceutical, biochemical and biological Literature on Suramin and diethylcarbamazine. The first step will be the selection of scientifi.c articles and books published between 196O and 1975 utilizing on-line and off-line modes of access to computerized literature sources. This will be followed by manual searches for articles published prior to the establishment of these computerized library systems. L22. ltre Royal Comronwealth Society for the Blind team in Northern Ghana completed a detailed epidemiological study of Awrigu and Zongoiri villages near the White Volta which were both found to be hyperendemic. The same team continued to study the effect of the daily ocPlPR/75.2 Page 17 diethylcarbamazine Ereatment ln chlldren 5-15 years. Although side-reactions were obsbrved during the first month of treatment, conai.stent improvements \rere recorded boch in the reduction of the microfilarial load and, more important, in the eye lesions four months after the beginning of the trial. L23. Professor W. Peters, of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and l{ygiene, submltted a detailed report on the findings of his vislt to the Progrenrne area which was nainly concerned with the evaluatlon of potentlal investigators and institutes wtlere clinical trials of antifltarial cornpounds could be carried out and facilities exist for basic chemo- therapy reaearch within the framework of OCP. L24. On Ehe occasion of Dr Maseacrierrs vislt to Headguarters, the possibillties for clinlcal trlals wlth new drugs, to be carried out by the Centre M.rraz in Bobo-Dioulasso, were discuseed. 125. In June, diecuesions took place rillth Dr Prodhon, Chlef of the Laboratory of Para- sitology, Centre Muraz, OCCGE, Bobo-Dioulasso, regarding uedlcal regearch on onchocerciasis to be carrled out by the Centre during the period 1975-76. L26. The repatrlatlon of the ophthalmologist of the National Mobile Ophthalnologlcal Unit, 0uagadougou, for nedlcaL reaeons, was reported during the quarter. The evaluation of the trials with Suramln and diethylcarbamazlne ln sme vilLages of Upper Volta, lnltlated by this epeclalist, wiLl be contlnued by the Progrnme Epidemiological Evaluatlon team untl1 a replacement hae been found. (b) Training L27, Dr TauffLleb, Inspecteur g6n6ra1 de Recherche de IIORSIOM, who has been detached fro,n O&STOM, Parle, to supervieethe tralnlng of entomologlcal technicians for the Progrrme at OCCGE, Bouak6, vieited the Progrme Headquarterg ln June to digcuss the progress of the traineee. Durlng the quarter, one aeslstant entmoLoglst and eight entomological technlclans(five Gtranalane and four Voltaics) attended the course. To date, no candidatures have been recelved for the feLlowships in public health and onchocerclasis epideoiology and chemotherapy avallab1e under the Progrryr'ne. \