Happy New Year and welcome to our recently updated Global Atlas of Helminth Infections (GAHI) website.
Since the site’s launch in August 2010, there have been several important developments in the global control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including the London Declaration and the launch of the WHO NTD Roadmap. During this time, we have been working to expand the number of NTDs included in the GAHI and its global coverage. For example, we have collaborated with WHO-AFRO to map treatment coverage of albendazole and ivermectin in support of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF), and are currently working with the Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases (CNTD) to develop a LF infection atlas. We have also partnered with the International Trachoma Initiative and the Carter Center to develop a sister website mapping the global distribution of trachoma. Finally, we have received new funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, GlaxoSmithKline and CNTD (through the UK Department for International Development).
While our main goal remains to provide a global geographical resource on the distribution of NTDs, providing maps as well as the data that underpin them, you will find we have some new features to enhance our online presence.
This is the first blog post of what will be a growing number of articles written by our researchers, members of partner organisations, and anyone in the deworming or mapping communities who wishes to share their experience. We invite you to get in touch with us if you'd like to contribute your insight on a certain topic, tell a story from recent travels in the field, or share knowledge with others in the global health and development community.
In our news section you'll find the latest developments related to soil-transmitted helminths (STH), LF, schistosomiasis, mapping and deworming, and related topics like trachoma and malaria. We will be sourcing news stories from leading international news sources, as well as sharing internal developments within the This Wormy World team.
We have also streamlined our partners page to better showcase our much valued partnerships. I'd like to emphasise that we are an open collaboration and are always open to new ideas and approaches. All our partners bring unique skills to our work, so please do get in touch if you'd like to learn more about working with GAHI. The more partners working to control and eliminate NTDs, the better!
You will also find a more searchable repository of resources, to which we will continually add relevant journal articles and electronic sources.
We hope you find our new website a useful source for news and articles about This Wormy World, and, as always, an open-access map and data resource on the distribution of STH, schistosomiasis and LF. If you have any suggestions or comments, or wish to contribute data, please get in touch.
Wishing you all a prosperous and increasingly NTD-free 2013.
Simon Brooker and the This Wormy World team