Opening session
Date: Tuesday, 2 November 2021
Moderator: Dr Sultani Matendechero, Chairperson of the LEAP Advisory Committee (LAC), Ministry of Health, Kenya
| Welcome and introduction | Monique Wasunna, Eastern Africa Director, DNDi, Kenya |
| Muntaser Ibrahim, University of Khartoum, Sudan Samuel Kariuki, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya Rolland Kaya, Médecins Sans Frontières Eastern Africa, Kenya Juliet Nabyonga-Orem, World Health Organization, Kenya Bernard Pécoul, Executive Director DNDi, Switzerland | |
| Keynote Speaker | Margaret Anyetei-Agama, African Union, Ethiopia |
Sessions
Leishmaniasis Prevention, Epidemiology, Vector Control and Elimination
Date: Tuesday, 2 November 2021
Chairs: Alfred Mubangizi, Ministry of Health, Uganda and Mousab S. Elhag, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan
| Towards Elimination of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa Daniel Argaw, World Health Organization, Switzerland |
| Unmet needs in the knowledge of Vector Control in Eastern Africa Prof. Dia El Naiem, University of Maryland, USA |
| Structuring the political agenda for Leishmaniasis in Eastern Africa Abate Mulugeta, Regional Office for Africa – World Health Organization, Republic of Congo |
| Prospects of visceral leishmaniasis elimination in Eastern Africa: applicable lessons drawn from Southeast Asia elimination initiative Saurabh Jain, WHO-TDR, Switzerland |
| A concerted endeavour for elimination of kala-azar in Eastern Africa for 2030 Carol Karutu, The END Fund, Kenya |
| The Global Vector Hub – building entomological capacity worldwide and improving epidemic preparedness Frederik Seelig, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom |
Advances in R&D and access, diagnosis, and treatment for leishmaniasis
Date: Wednesday, 3 November 2021
Chairs: Jane Mbui, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kenya and Yaw Asare Aboagye, Global Head of Clinical Operations, DNDi, Kenya
| Phase III PM/MF clinical trial – a more user-friendly option for children with VL Alexandra Solomos, DNDi, Switzerland |
| Opportunities in diagnostics and test of cure for VL in Eastern Africa Henk Schallig, Academic Medical Centre, The Netherlands |
| Investigation of the interactions of some anti-leishmanial natural compounds with potential protein targets: an in-silico approach Abigail Adomako, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana |
| Capparis spinosa inhibits Leishmania major promastigote and amastigote growth through induction of Nitric Oxide production Dounia Darif, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Morocco |
| Financial & Administrative Challenges in Clinical Trials Implementation in Resource Limited Settings: Experiences from DNDi sponsored clinical trials in eastern Africa Simon Bolo, DNDi, Kenya |
| Progress made on the VL Data Platform, and plans Prabin Dahal, Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), University of Oxford, UK |
Current advances in cutaneous leishmaniasis
Date: Wednesday, 3 November 2021
Chairs: Asrat Hailu, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and Esther Kinyeru, Gilgil Hospital, Kenya
| CL in Africa Mourad Mokni, University Tunis Al Manar, Tunisia |
| Epidemiological situation of CL in Ethiopia Endalamaw Gadisa, Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Ethiopia |
| CL: Asian perspective and effects on quality of Life Nadira Karunaweera, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| DNDi Efforts on CL Byron Arana, Head of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Disease, DNDi, Switzerland |
Leishmaniasis: Basic Science, Translational Research and Vaccine Development
Date: Thursday, 4 November 2021
Chairs: Eltahir Khalil Gasim, Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Sudan and Paul Kaye, University of York, UK
| Immunological determinants of chronic visceral leishmaniasis in HIV-coinfected patients Nicky de Vrij, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Belgium |
| Immunology of L. infantum and L. major infections Thourya Boussoffara, Institut Pasteur, Tunisia |
| Immunology of PKDL and CL in South East Asia Mitali Chatterjee, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), India |
| Development of a centrin-based vaccine for VL Angamuthu Selvapandiyan, Jamia Hamdard University, India |
Special session on the impact of COVID-19 on NTDs and training on fundraising tools in Africa
Date: Thursday, 4 November 2021
Chairs: Yalemtsehay Mekonnen, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia and Irene Mukui, Head of HIV Disease, DNDi, Kenya
| Training: Key tools to raise funds for projects and organizations in Africa Karin Genevaux, Genoka Services, France |
| Effects of COVID-19 on visceral leishmaniasis activities in Uganda Joseph Olobo, Makerere University, Uganda |
| COVID-19 in Africa: Where are we, Lessons Learnt and What More Needs to be Done Mohammed Abdulaziz, Africa CDC, Ethiopia |
Closing Session
Date: Thursday, 4 November 2021
| Worldleish7 Update Ivan D. Velez, Universidad de Antiqioquia, Colombia |
| Wrap up and Close of Conference Jorge Alvar, DNDi, Switzerland |
