Article

ESPEN Collect Strengthens Evidence for Stopping MDA Across the African Region

6 March 2026

Brazzaville (Congo) - In 2025, ESPEN Collect further consolidated its role as the primary digital platform supporting standardized survey implementation for preventive chemotherapy NTD programmes across the African Region. The platform supported 44 NTD surveys in 17 countries, covering 144 districts and 1,517 survey sites, and contributed to the generation of four EPIRF reports.

Most surveys focused on onchocerciasis (21), lymphatic filariasis (15), and schistosomiasis/soil-transmitted helminthiases (8), reinforcing the use of harmonized digital tools to improve the quality, consistency, and timeliness of epidemiological data collection.

Evidence generated through ESPEN Collect directly informed national programme decisions on stopping mass drug administration (MDA) and transitioning toward post-treatment surveillance.

For lymphatic filariasis, seven countries reported 31.4 million people living in districts that have stopped MDA or successfully passed pre-TAS/EMS assessments.
For onchocerciasis, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria confirmed 4.8 million people living in districts eligible to stop MDA or advance in the stop-decision process.
For soil-transmitted helminthiasis, six countries reported 14.8 million people living in districts below the 2% treatment threshold, including 1.85 million pre-school-aged children and 4.11 million school-aged children who no longer require routine deworming.
For schistosomiasis, three countries identified 1.28 million people living in districts with prevalence below 1%, including 143,369 pre-school-aged children and 373,668 school-aged children who no longer require preventive chemotherapy.

These results highlight how ESPEN Collect enables countries to generate robust, standardized epidemiological evidence to guide programme transitions and optimize the use of resources. Continuous platform improvements throughout 2025—including enhancements in usability, supervision tools, and data visualization—have further strengthened national surveillance systems and reinforced data-driven decision-making on the pathway toward elimination of neglected tropical diseases.