ESPEN Microplanner

Microplanning for Mass Drug Administration

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) impact over one billion people globally, causing significant long-term health consequences. Microplanning plays a crucial role in effectively delivering preventive chemotherapy, a key strategy recommended for reducing NTD prevalence and associated morbidity. Preventive chemotherapy involves regular administration of safe medications to targeted populations regardless of individual infection status.

Microplanning emphasizes localized, bottom-up operational planning to ensure interventions reach all eligible individuals and enhance community participation. Initially developed for vaccination campaigns, microplanning has since been adapted effectively for NTD control and elimination programs. This process involves community-level planning, implementation, and monitoring, ensuring maximum coverage and effectiveness.

Primary participants in microplanning include first-level supervisors responsible for overseeing local NTD interventions. Additionally, national program managers, regional and district supervisors, community leaders, community drug distributors, educators, and health communicators all have essential roles. Microplanning ensures tailored interventions suited to local contexts, significantly improving the efficiency and impact of preventive chemotherapy programs targeting NTDs.