Four fellows of the Africa Modelling Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (AM2NTD) are in Nairobi for the group’s first in-person collaborative training geared towards the development of statistical and mathematical models, to inform Mass Drug Administration (MDA) strategies for Schistosomiasis control and elimination in Senegal.
They include Maryam Diarra, of the Institut Pasteur Dakar, an entity AM2NTD is supporting to help Senegal adopt models, Didier Adjakidje, a senior researcher and data scientist from Benin, Florence Wakesho, a medical parasitologist and Ministry of Health NTD focal person, and Joy Kalekye, African Modelling and Analytics Academy for Women (AMAX) fellow and UoN PhD student.
The quartet is undergoing a six-week program, which kicked off in March, to refine their modelling skills, exchange knowledge, and collaborate in establishing a plan of action towards Schisto elimination in Senegal.
More specifically, the models the fellows are developing will provide insight into who should be targeted for treatment, and the treatment frequencies and coverage required to achieve the control and elimination targets at both national and sub-national levels.
