Hello!!! Greetings from Burkina Faso (West Africa)

Thanks to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Department for International Development [DFID]) and the will of the Ministry of Health of my country, I am registered as a PhD student. This is an exciting experience to me as I can apply my academic knowledge in the field for the benefit of the communities I am serving. In return I can use my fieldwork data and experience for scientific knowledge. Also, through WHO-AFRO I can share my expertise to other countries and colleagues.

After the external validation of lymphatic filariasis mapping of the entire country (according to WHO methodology), the national programme implementation was launched in December 2001. Our programme uses annual community based distribution of Mectizan and Ivermectin. The 5th round of MDA is expected to be conducted during the second half of Dec 2005 and early January 2006 in the entire country i.e. targeting a 13 million total population.

The disability alleviation component of the National Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (NPELF) is being implemented on a smaller scale (three regions) through two main partners (Handicap International and “Foundation pour le Development Communautaire”, a local branch of Save the Children US). Burkina Faso has recently benefited from HDI filaricele TOT workshop.

The implementation of the programme is externally funded by WHO, Liverpool LF Support Centre/DFID and Emory LF Support Center. Most of these sources have grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The government financial contribution to the programme is increasing dramatically since the beginning of the programme partly thanks to the efforts of fundraising supported by the GAELF.

The programme implementation is facing some operational challenges and my training at the University of Liverpool is very helpful in addressing some key issues.

As a student, I have attended several lectures since my registration and I am author/co-author of several published papers. During all my visits, I enjoy the multi-cultural city of Liverpool life though I wish I have more sun especially during summer!

I am grateful to the MoH and all the partners that are supporting the NPELF; without your commitments, this deadly disease would have been worsening. We need your continuing support till we get rid of LF by 2020!!

Dominique successfully defended his thesis in May 2007.