Merck KGaA announced the conclusion of a ten-year partnership with WHO to control schistosomiasis in African schoolchildren. For this purpose, Merck will provide for free 200 million tablets Cesol? 600 (active ingredient praziquantel) with a value of approximately US$ 80 million.
“Schistosomiasis is one of the biggest health risks to African children after malaria”, said Elmar Schnee, Member of the Executive Board, Merck KGaA, and Chief Executive Officer of Merck Serono.
“With approximately 80 million treatment cases in the coming decade, the Merck-WHO partnership ensures the chance of a healthy life in countries marked by diseases of poverty.”
Elmar Schnee and Dr. Margaret Chan, the new Director-General of the WHO, will sign the partnership agreement on the occasion of the WHO Global Partners Meeting on Neglected Tropical Diseases on April 19 and 20, 2007 in Geneva. “Affordability of praziquantel has been an immense hurdle for poor communities and the main obstacle to implementing preventive anthelminthic chemotherapy in many African countries,” says WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan. “This donation is a major step towards the achievement of WHO’s Millenium Development Goals1 of poverty reduction and better health for all.”
About Schistosomiasis 2, 3
Schistosomiasis is the second most prevalent tropical disease in Africa after malaria and is of great public health and socio-economic importance in the developing world.
Schistosomiasis continues to be a major public health problem as more than 200 million people are infected.
Almost 85% of those infected live in sub-Saharan Africa. Affected are mostly children of school age, 6 – 15 years, but other high-risk groups include women of child-bearing age, farmers and fishermen.
While the disease results in approximately 200,000 deaths annually, its chronic nature reduces the capacity of those infected to work. In children it causes anaemia, stunting and a reduced ability to learn.