Ecuador Becomes Second Country in the Americas to Halt River Blindness Transmission: Carter Center Hails Major Step Forward in Campaign to Rid Americas of Parasitic Infection by 2012; Urges Intensified Efforts in the Four Remaining Endemic Countries
October 13, 2009, Istanbul, Turkey – Helen Keller International (HKI), represented by Shawn Baker, Vice President and Regional Director for Africa, attended the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations’ (AGFUND) ceremony to honor the recipients of its annual International Prize for Pioneering Development Projects. This year’s theme was the prevention of visual impairment, and HKI was awarded first prize of $150,000 for its "Sustainable Control of Onchocerciasis” program in Africa.
Merck & Co., Inc and the Mectizan Donation Program are pleased to announce that Dr. Ed Cupp is the recipient of the 2009 Merck Mectizan Award. Dr. Cupp was nominated by his peers nominated for his remarkable contributions to the control and elimination of onchocerciasis. Dr. Cupp has amassed a number of achievements that make him well-qualified for the award:
We are pleased to share the attached press release from the International Eye Foundation announcing the recipients of the Promotion of Peace & Vision Awards.
Merck & Co., Inc. received the inaugural IEF Promotion of Peace & Vision Award to a Corporation for outstanding commitment to controlling and eliminating onchocerciasis (river blindness) worldwide.
WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., July 20, 2009 - Merck & Co., Inc. issued the following statement in response to study results published today by the World Health Organization offering the first evidence that elimination of the tropical disease river blindness (onchocerciasis) in Africa is feasible with treatment with ivermectin (registered trademark Mectizan®).
Click on the link below to download an MP3 or view the transcript of a televised report on NTDs and community-drug distributors in Tanzania featuring APOC Director Dr. Uche Amazigo and former MEC member Grace Saguti. APOC received a USAID grant for co-implementation in Tanzania and mass distribution for both onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis has been ongoing in Tanzania for a number of years.
The Mectizan Donation Program is pleased to present its newly re-designed website. We hope you find that information is easier to retrieve on the new site and that you enjoy the additional features we've added, including a news and publications area where you'll find the latest news on onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis elimination in Africa, Latin America, and Yemen. You'll also find a gallery of the images MDP has collected over the years that show the hard work of our partners in the field and the people affected by onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis.
