Gates Foundation awards $7 million for neglected tropical disease elimination efforts

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $7 million to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine to aid efforts eliminating river blindness and elephantiasis in Africa and in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a press release.

“These diseases collectively affect 2 billion people in the developing world,” Gary Weil, MD, of Washington University in St. Louis, said in the press release. “They cause disability, blindness, developmental delays and stunting in millions.”

Weil’s project enforces mass drug administration in endemic areas, where infection rates are high, according to the release. The researchers will continue to evaluate whether twice-yearly drug administration is better than annual treatment and whether different combinations of available drugs can more effectively cure infections.

“We already have made great strides,” Weil said in the press release. “If we can further reduce the impact of elephantiasis through mass treatment programs, we stand a much better chance of improving the health of individuals and families and making a big difference in communities.”

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has funded Weil’s research since 2010 and has contributed a total of $20 million, according to the release. Their latest support restarts the project in Lofa, Liberia, which was suspended in March 2014 because of the Ebola epidemic.

“We recently restarted mass drug administration, and are very excited to have our team back on the ground in Liberia to carry out this important research, which has the potential to benefit many people in developing countries,” Weil said.