Buruli ulcer: first programme review meeting for west Africa – summary report

Overview

WHO established the Global Buruli Ulcer Initiative in 1998. Since then, a number of countries in which the disease is endemic have established national programmes for its control. Progress and experiences vary among countries. Programme review meetings are to be held periodically to share country experiences.

On 21–23 October 2008, WHO, the Carter Center and the Government of Benin co-funded and co-hosted in Cotonou (Benin) the first programme review meeting of the 4 countries in west Africa where Buruli ulcer disease is most highly endemic: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo. Nigeria attended as an observer as it is in the process of assessing the burden of the disease and in establishing activities for its control. A number of local and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) support activities to control Buruli ulcer in these countries. The meeting was attended by 25 participants. The objectives were: (i) to review the status of epidemiology, surveillance and programmatic interventions to control Buruli ulcer in the selected countries; (ii) to discuss related problems and their potential solutions; and (iii) to recommend future actions in the subregion. The 3-day meeting included 2-days of technical presentations and discussions and a 1-day field visit. In general, review meetings serve to assess progress in and recommend specific actions for each country; to raise awareness of the disease in the host country; to obtain or refine indicators for reasuring the effectiveness of control programmes; and to disseminate the findings through publication.