Serious diseases profiled in nine part series supported by the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative at Imperial - <em>News</em>
Friday 3 October 2008
By Naomi Weston
Some of the world’s most serious diseases are being profiled in a new unique BBC documentary series supported by the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative at Imperial College London.
‘Survival’, the new nine part series, focuses on a different global health issue each episode, including TB, HIV, malaria, maternal mortality, childhood diseases, pneumonia and neglected tropical diseases.
Each fifty minute film is set in a different country and looks at a different disease or health issue. The films offer an insight into some of the world’s most serious diseases. They particularly look at how these diseases affect the poorest communities in developing countries and how these communities are responding.
The first episode is introduced by Professor Alan Fenwick, Director of the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI) at Imperial. The episode focuses on five neglected tropical diseases, of which schistosomiasis is one.
The films offer an insight into important diseases
Schistosomiasis is a chronic, debilitating disease and it affects over 200 million people world-wide. However, like other neglected tropical diseases, it is easily treated and the main challenge is to get cheap and effective drugs to the people in developing countries. Filmed in Niger, West Africa, the first documentary looks at local communities who are developing their own solutions using simple tools and community volunteers.
It focuses on the Niger town of Maradi, where preparations are being made to take part for the first time in Niger’s mass drug administration programme. Over 8 million people in Niger received drugs against 5 debilitating diseases in 2008. In this episode there are interviews with the residents of Maradi and the drug distributors as they orchestrate the treatment.
Another episode looks at malaria in Uganda. The viewer is introduced to Dr Andrew Opete, who is responsible for thousands of patients and is the only doctor for miles around. A lack of resources means that he is sometimes forced to use cheap, old drugs which the malaria parasite has largely become resistant to. He also cares for children with life-threatening problems such as cerebal malaria or severe anaemia.
The production of the documentaries is supported by the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative at Imperial through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Professor Fenwick acted as scientific advisor for the documentaries.
He says: “These documentaries offer a different view of life and disease in the developing world with some good news and some sobering situations. The SCI and Imperial College were pleased to accept the lead role in the grant to support this series because highlighting these global health issues is vital to continuing funding for their control.”
The SCI, was established with a donation of $30 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2002 and is a collaboration between the Foundation, Imperial's Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, the Harvard Centre for Population and Development Studies and the World Health Organisation. With further funding received from USAID and Geneva Global, SCI is now operating in 8 countries in Africa.
The primary goals of the SCI are to identify the most heavily infected regions in African countries, provide health education, treat victims of schistosomiasis and monitor the impact of the treatment programme. To date over 40 million treatments have been delivered.
The ‘Survival’ programmes are broadcast on BBC World News. For people in UK the films can be watched online at www.survival.tv
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