Background

Parasitic  diseases still pose major obstacles to healthy growth and socio-economic  development in developing countries. Some, such as malaria, are life  threatening and are the leading cause of mortality in endemic countries. Others  such as onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis and soil  transmitted helminthiasis cause debilitating symptoms, which are chronic and  hinder healthy growth in children and also significantly reduce the productive  life of adults. The effects of chronic parasitic infections are further  magnified in the context of the subsistence economies of rural communities. These effects are believed by many to be the major cause of the poverty and  disruption in social stability and economic progress in developing tropical  countries.

Background  of ESACIPAC establishment

The Global  Parasite Control Initiative (GPCI) has its inception at the 1997 Denver Summit of the G8  countries, when Japan pointed out the importance of international cooperation  in parasitic diseases control. As a follow up to this summit a report entitled  The Global Parasite Control for the 21st Century was prepared and  disclosed at the 1998 Birmingham Summit. In this report was expressed Japan  intention to help developing countries improve their capacity and information  exchange for parasitic diseases control through establishing three centres in  Asia and Africa.

In this context, Asia  Centre of International Parasite Control (ACIPAC) was established at Mahidol  University, Thailand, in March 2000; the  Eastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasite Control (ESACIPAC)  at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kenya, in May 2001 and West African Centre for International Parasite Control (WACIPAC) at the Noguchi  Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Ghana, in January 2004.

Establishment of ESACIPAC

ESACIPAC  was established in Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), with the assistance of the Japanese Government, in 2001, to coordinate the activities of  the integrated school based parasitic diseases control in the region. Eight countries are involved: Uganda,  Tanzania mainland,  Zanzibar, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and the hosing  country, Kenya. ESACIPAC is one  of the three centres for parasite control under the Global Parasite Control  Initiative (GPCI).

Mandates of ESACIPAC are:

1. Capacity building  through international symposia and training courses
2. Establishing the  model site activities for integrated parasitic diseases control
3. Establishing  human/information Network
4. Operational  Research

Brief history of ESACIPAC

Since the establishment of ESACIPAC in 2001, KEMRI as a leading research institute in Africa, have availed its  human and material sources in support of activities as one of the Centres in the Institute.

Until now, ESACIPAC has:

1. organized two advocacy  symposiums  (in August 2002 and in  October 2004) and three  iinternational training courses for policy makers and programme managers of  Ministries of Health and Education from eight member countries (2003, 2004 and  2005), for the human resources development,
2. established its model site in Mwea division, Kirinyaga district, Kenya to show  the model of the integrated school-based parasitic diseases control activities  to the participants of the international training courses from member countries  (since 2003),
3. conducted advocacy visits to  member countries (2001,2002,2003 and 2005) for propagating the activities of the Global Parasite Control  Initiative
4. developed human/information network in the sub-region (since 2001)  and
5. undertaken applied  field research activities, including application/development of appropriate tools  (since 2003