CONTRAST

AbOUT CONTRAST

CONTRAST is a multidisciplinary alliance bringing together key skills and expertise to generate new knowledge on biological, environmental and socio-economic factors relating to schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa. The project, funded by the EU's Sixth Framework Programme, will complement ongoing chemotherapy campaigns based on the [...] praziquantel and deliver more effective strategies for long-term control of this debilitating disease. The project addresses the basic need of endemic countries to improve understanding of schistosomiasis transmission, in order to target, and make best use of limited resources for control.

CONTRAST will work for local control solutions that are more sustainable. Working with European partners, established research institutes and a representative from the commercial sector, a research node network across sub-Saharan Africa will: establish innovative molecular tools to characterize both snails and schistosomes, define the importance of host-parasite dynamics across different ecological and epidemiological settings, develop new spatial models for disease risk maps and prediction, encourage and assess novel local control interventions using a social science approach and ensure widespread dispersal and access to information. CONTRAST is committed to creating a new and much needed platform for integrated schistosomiasis control in Africa, which will be effective and sustainable at the local, national and regional level.

Project objectives

It is the overall aim of CONTRAST to achieve sustainable schistosomiasis control at the public health level in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa through development of locally-adapted and appropriate intervention strategies, complementary with ongoing morbidity control using the anthelmintic [...] praziquantel (PZQ).

In short the objectives are as follows:
1. Molecular tools for new insight into snail-schistosome transmission biology
2. Characterisation of schistosome-snail relationships and transmission potential
3. Spatial epidemiology for schistosomiasis risk mapping and prediction
4. Social sciences approaches to better understand and encourage local control interventions
5. Outreach and dissemination facility established

Time Frame

The CONTRAST project period runs from 1st October 2006 - 1st October 2010.

Partners

External links

• Homepage of CONTRAST