Twelve new proposals have been selected for the Joint TDR/ World Health Organization Western Pacific Region Small Grants Scheme for implementation research in infectious diseases of poverty. Projects are on malaria, tuberculosis, dengue, and neglected tropical diseases such schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, and food-borne trematodes.
The goal is to increase access to health interventions by identifying solutions and options for overcoming implementation obstacles in health systems and programmes.
Fifty-two proposals were reviewed from 9 countries Cambodia, China, Fiji, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Viet Nam. Last year, 18 proposals were funded under the small grants scheme and are expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year.
In Cambodia, a study will identify factors contributing to anti-malarial medicine stock-out in Pursat and Stung Treng Provinces. Lessons from this study should help formulate evidence-based references for strengthening or modifying the existing strategies to prevent or minimize stock-outs of malaria rapid diagnostic tests and artemisinin-based combination therapies in health facilities.
One of the projects is to determine direct and indirect costs related to tuberculosis (TB) in Viet Nam, and to estimate the proportion of households experiencing catastrophic costs due to this disease. Information from this study can be used to monitor financial barriers to adherence and thus improve TB control interventions.
For more information:
At TDR contact Garry Aslanyan (aslanyang@who.int)
At WPR, contact Glenda Gonzales (gonzalesg@who.int)