Multinational - The African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (Phase II and Phasing out)

The African Program for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) was established in 1996 in 19 countries (Liberia, Nigeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, Malawi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Mozambique) where onchocerciasis is still found. Phase I lasted from 1995 to 2001 and Phase II, the subject of this support, was expected to last from 2002 to 2010. However, in December 2007, the latter, which corresponds to the phasing out and exit of APOC, was extended to 2015 to take into account program phasing out activities and the need to strengthen onchocerciasis control in post-conflict countries. To that end, the program adopted an action plan (2008 – 2015) to implement this decision. The program’s strategy is based on community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI). One of the objectives of the 2008 – 2015 action plan is to consolidate the outcomes already achieved by APOC, and to complete the work in post-conflict areas. The expected benefits are the protection of 98 700 000 people at risk against onchocerciasis within the APOC coverage area and self management by 117 000 communities within the APOC area of the community-directed Ivermectin treatment. The total cost of this Phase II and phasing-out of the program, excluding taxes and customs duty, stands at UA 74.70 million.