The Task Force for Global Health is excited to be the new secretariat for the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF). For 25 years, GAELF has mobilized political, financial and technical resources to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) as a public health problem, working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO).
LF, also known as elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that currently threatens 657 million people in 39 countries and is transmitted through mosquito bites. Previously, more than one billion people in 73 countries were at risk for LF. If left untreated, infection can damage the lymphatic system, which can cause severe swelling of the limbs and genitals, damage to the skin – leading to disability and social stigma.
“The Task Force is a good place for GAELF because it has a long history of working on lymphatic filariasis,” said GAELF Chair Dr. Charles Mackenzie. “It is a center of research work on LF and provides support to country programs. The GAELF Steering Committee saw that The Task Force is somewhere we could interact and integrate with other programs, as it is probably one of the leading institutions in the world where such alliances that support global programs are housed.”
Prior to joining The Task Force, GAELF was housed at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Task Force’s Long History with LF
Around 1999, Task Force Co-Founder Dr. Bill Foege catalyzed funding for LF work through the Gates Foundation. One of the recipients of that funding was the LF Support Center, which was based at the Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Since its inception, the LF Support Center worked with WHO and partners to support operational research studies aimed at optimizing the implementation and outcomes of national programs to stop the spread of filarial infections and reduce the suffering from clinical disease.
In 2005, the LF Support Center joined The Task Force, and in 2013, it evolved into the Neglected Tropical Diseases Support Center (NTD Support Center) when it expanded its focus to include a broader range of diseases. Serving as secretariat for the Coalition for Operational Research on NTDs, the NTD Support Center provides a platform for NTD researchers to identify common needs and share technical advances to maximize programmatic impact in affected countries. In addition, another Task Force program – The Mectizan Donation Program – supports mass treatment programs for LF elimination.
“The NTD Support Center and GAELF make natural partners through their efforts to improve the effectiveness of country programs – and to support WHO” said Dr. Patrick Lammie, Director of the NTD Support Center.
Progress in the Global Elimination of LF
During this time great progress has been made in the quest to eliminate LF. For example, 21 countries have eliminated LF as a public health problem and another 871 million people no longer require preventive treatment for LF.
“In the first 25 years of the program, we were able to capitalize on the success of countries, discuss progress at meetings, and address any technical questions that came up at that time,” said Dr. Mackenzie. “This was done at the bi-annual meetings that brought LF partners together. Our main role was to be a conduit and support for WHO and to celebrate the LF successes. One way of celebrating was awarding the GAELF awards to ministers of health. The GAELF meeting was known across the LF community as an important meeting and it was a time to refresh and understand the global status of LF. As we move ahead as an Alliance, we have to look at what we can do better to achieve our global elimination goals.”
Looking to a Future Free of LF
GAELF’s plans to build upon its 25-year legacy of uplifting WHO’s Global Programme to Eliminate LF with a focus on adhering to the global LF targets in the 2020 WHO NTD Road Map and fostering country ownership.
“It is very important that countries manage their own programs,” said Dr. Mackenzie. “In this next phase of GAELF, we need to understand what each country needs to drive their programs forward. Initially, the global LF Program was primarily driven in most cases by external partners, NGOs, and others. That era has passed. Countries are now led by program managers who are very knowledgeable and very capable. Our major role as GAELF is to be countries’ communication conduit by understanding what each country needs. GAELF will be focusing on linking the LF community together, sharing its successes and its best practices.”
Watch the video below produced by the Mectizan Donation Program on the work to end LF and Oncho in Malawi.
