For those of us working in soil-transmitted helminths (STH) control, 2011 has already proven to be a watershed year. Increased drug donations from GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson, along with the ongoing development of a global STH control strategy by the World Health Organization (WHO), now provide unprecedented opportunity to reduce morbidity from STH infections.

Key to leveraging this opportunity will be successful collaboration with global partners in STH control. These partners include the WHO, foundations, bilateral agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based organization (FBO) donors, and ministries of health and education.

In light of the importance of these collaborations, we devote much of this edition of the Quarterly Dose to highlighting the valuable efforts of our partners. First, we describe how Nicaragua and Bolivia plan to improve their STH control programs using grants that the Izumi Foundation recently awarded them. We also report the 2009 results of the Global NGO Deworming Inventory, which shed light on the tremendous contributions NGOs are making in STH control. Next, we learn about the positive impact the drug donations from Johnson & Johnson have made in Cambodia from Dr. Antonio Montresor of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Department at the WHO headquarters. Finally, we introduce you to our Senior Program Associate, Kerry Gallo, who recently joined CWW and has so much to offer us as we expand our work.  

We're also taking this opportunity to announce that we will begin taking applications for donated albendazole and mebendazole from eligible countries.

As always, we look forward to continued collaboration with all our partners to achieve our shared vision of the world's children free of intestinal parasites so they grow, play, learn and enrich their communities.

Sincerely,

Kim Koporc

Director