Objective
To launch new tools for supporting the implementation of Taenia solium control activities and for an improved neurocysticercosis patient care and case management.
Context
The parasite Taenia solium is transmitted between pigs and humans. Humans can develop two diseases:
- Taeniasis: caused by the mature tapeworm. It is acquired by eating infected raw or undercooked pork.
- Neurocysticercosis (NCC): caused by the larval stages of the parasite which is acquired through faecal-oral contamination, or by ingesting water and food contaminated with eggs from the faeces of a person with taeniasis. This disease is the one with main medical significance, as the parasite commonly encysts in the brain and spinal cord, causing neurological disease. It is the most frequent preventable cause of seizure disorders such as epilepsy in the developing world.
Pigs develop the larval stages of the parasite (porcine cysticercosis) after ingesting eggs released by a human tapeworm carrier, but they usually do not present any symptoms.
NCC and taeniasis by T. solium, are neglected zoonotic diseases affecting vulnerable communities in which pigs roam free, and open defecation is practiced. The case management and treatment of NCC is difficult and challenging in the settings in which the disease is endemic.
There are several interventions that can be implemented for the control of T. solium, and a One-Health approach is the most effective, efficient, and sustainable control. However, implementation of control measures has been limited due to a variety of reasons, including the lack of appropriate tools. During the last few years, a new set of tools has been developed to assist health care providers in appropriate, evidence-based management of NCC, and to assist public health stakeholders in implementing control measures for T. solium.
Starting time
- West Africa Time (Brazzaville) 9.00 am
- Central Africa Time (Lusaka); Central European Summer Time (Geneva) 10.00 am
- Eastern Africa Time (Nairobi); Eastern European Summer Time (Bucharest) 11.00 am
- India Standard Time (New Delhi) 1.30 pm
- Indochina Time (Phnom Penh); Western Indonesian Time (Jakarta) 3.00 pm
- Philippine Standard Time (Manila) 4.00 pm
- Australian Eastern Standard Time (Melbourne) 6.00 pm
Registration
Please register in advance for this webinar:
https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iHdTluRUTz2WmndRJrU7MA
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Interpreting services in French and Portuguese will be available.