First In-Person Meeting of the Regional Expert Advisory Group on Urogenital Schistosomiasis (TAG-UGS)
Brazzaville (Congo) - ESPEN will convene the first in-person meeting of the Regional Expert Advisory Group on Urogenital Schistosomiasis (TAG-UGS) from 17 to 18 February 2026 at the WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville.
Washing clothes in the river (Photo by J. Starkey)
Urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS), including female and male genital schistosomiasis, remains a neglected yet critical public-health and sexual and reproductive health challenge in the African Region. Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) affects an estimated 56 million women and girls and is associated with increased vulnerability to HIV, persistent HPV infection, and cervical cancer, while male genital schistosomiasis remains under-documented despite significant morbidity. Despite existing WHO guidance and access to praziquantel, UGS is widely underdiagnosed, underreported, and insufficiently integrated into national health information systems and SRH services, representing a major missed opportunity for integrated, gender-responsive care.
This inaugural meeting will formally launch the TAG-UGS as a multidisciplinary regional platform bringing together experts in schistosomiasis, sexual and reproductive health, HIV, cervical cancer, gender, and health systems. Participants will include WHO technical teams from ESPEN, SRH and related clusters, regional and global experts, and collaborating partners. The meeting will focus on reviewing the regional UGS landscape, validating the TAG-UGS terms of reference, identifying priority gaps in diagnostics, surveillance, and reporting, and defining coordinated workstreams to support integration of UGS into primary health care and SRH platforms.
By strengthening regional coordination and providing expert guidance aligned with the WHO NTD Roadmap 2021–2030, the TAG-UGS aims to advance harmonized approaches to UGS screening, diagnosis, and reporting, support country ownership, and contribute to the elimination of schistosomiasis as a public-health problem while reinforcing broader SRHR and gender-equity goals in the African Region.
