Course report now available: Modern Tools for NTD Control Programmes

A course completion report is now available for our Short Course on Modern Tools for Neglected Tropical Disease Control Programmes, which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, on 12 - 17 May 2013. 

The report provides detailed background on the course content, participants, instructors, timetable, materials and feedback. In sharing this report we wish to share our experience with others in the NTD research and control community, but also receive your input and suggestions for future courses. Please nina.cromeyer-dieke [at] lshtm.ac.uk (get in touch) if you wish to discuss any aspects of the course in further detail. 

Report highlights

A five-day training course, Short Course on Modern Tools for Neglected Tropical Disease Control Programmes, was held at the Training Centre of the Eastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control (ESACIPAC) at Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Nairobi, 12 - 17 May 2013. The course aimed to provide participants with an overview of the use of mapping and epidemiological tools to assist in the design, implementation and evaluation of targeted and cost-effective neglected tropical disease (NTD) control activities.

The course was structured around five principal, daily themes: Key concepts in NTD mapping, Data management for mapping, Mapping of NTDs, Spatial tools for NTD control and Mapping for your NTD programme.

We had a total of 18 participants from seven African countries, including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique and Nigeria.

Instructors were from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), KEMRI and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM).

Upon completion of the course, participants answered a feedback questionnaire that included the following outcomes:

• 79% of participants strongly agreed that the topics covered by the course were relevant to their work.
• 89% of participants strongly agreed that, if possible, they would recommend the course to colleagues or others working in NTD control.
• 95% of participants strongly agreed that they planned to share the information they received during the training with others in their workplace.

"It was very well organized and the course materials provided were very complete and easy to follow and everyone involved was very nice and helpful, so the course went by very easily. We learned without problems."

"The trainers tried their best to be interactive. All my questions were answered with a detailed explanation. The participants were friendly. Accommodation was great."

"Learned new and relevant skills; it was practical and participatory rather than theoretical; it is addressing a gap in important diseases in Africa."

"The course is a very informative, technical and educative programme. The course has increased my skills and knowledge in the use of NTD mapping tools, data management and analysis."

The course was a collaboration between the Global Atlas of Helminth Infections (GAHI) at LSHTM, the Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases (CNTD) at LSTM, the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research (LCNTDR) and ESACIPAC-KEMRI.

More information on the course is vailable in our Training section, where you are welcome to download and share course materials. 

You can also read a blog reviewing the course, written by ESACIPAC-KEMRI director Dr. Sammy Njenga.

We wish to thank our aforementioned partners as well as the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, for making this course possible.

Finally, we wish to thank all 18 participants for their hard work and dedication during the course, and we hope the skills you learned help guide targeted and cost-effective NTD control strategies in your country and across Africa.

Course completion report: Short course on modern tools for NTD control programmes