Page 34 - Science in Africa

Professor Uche Amazigo

A HEALTH PIONEER

rofessor Uche Amazigo has in Tropical Disease Task Force on blindness can be envisaged by 2025. The model
devoted most of her academic, Onchocerciasis Operational Research. has been adapted to facilitate other
public and international career to Her early insights into, and interest in, community-based programmes.
the control of neglected tropical gender and river blindness led to her She was instrumental in the integration of
diseases and community-led landmark research work and contributed to ivermectin and other NTD medicines in
Phealth and development the scientific basis for the creation of the remote areas in both stable and conflict-torn
programmes, including the multisector global World Health Organisation African countries through the community-directed
partnership for river blindness control. Programme for Onchocerciasis Control intervention.
She is a public health specialist and strong (WHO/APOC) in 1995, and to the In 2008, she was honoured by
advocate for community participation in expansion of river blindness former US president George W
disease control and the strengthening of the control efforts to 19 countries in Bush for her work in NTD. She
health system. Africa. is a fellow of the Nigerian
She has a doctorate in Biology and Medical In 1996, she joined the World Academy of Science and
Parasitology from the University of Vienna, Health Organisation to help honorary fellow of the Royal
Austria, and a postgraduate diploma in set up WHO/APOC. In 2001, she Society of Tropical Medicine
Tropical Medicine and Parasitology from the became chief of the Sustainable and Hygiene. She also serves as
Bernhard-Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine Drug Distribution Unit adviser to several global boards
in Hamburg, Germany. responsible for APOC’s control and is a trustee of Sightsavers and
She is a Takemi Fellow in International strategy of strengthening community the TY Danjuma Foundation.
Health of the School of Public Health, ownership of ivermectin distribution and In 2012, she won the prestigious Prince
Harvard University, US. sustainability of the control strategy. She Mahidol Laureate in Public Health. In 2013, she
Professor Amazigo began her career with worked closely with ministries of health in 19 received an honorary doctorate from the
the pioneering discovery of and publications African countries for more than 15 years, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South
on the social consequences of onchocerciasis engaging and coordinating the efforts of Africa. She is a Knight of the National Order
(river blindness) while a lecturer and APOC partners in more than 146 000 of Burkina Faso.
researcher at the University of Nigeria, communities. She is internationally recognised Since retiring from WHO in 2011, she founded
Nsukka, from 1978 to 1996. as a leading figure in the introduction, the Pan-African Community Initiative on
She produced the first evidence of the application and scaling up of the innovative Education and Health, a nongovernmental
enormous but essentially unrecognised burden community-directed treatment strategy in the organisation that expands the use of community-
of severe itching from onchocerciasis and its control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). directed strategies to community school health,
social impact on adolescent girls and women This model made it possible for community education and feeding programmes in resource-
in Etteh, southeast Nigeria. members to play a determining role in poor communities in Nigeria.
In 1994, she became a member of the UN- distributing medicines to affected populations She is adjunct professor at Nnamdi Azikiwe
based Programme for Research and Training to the point where elimination of river University in Awka, Nigeria.
34 SCIENCE IN AFRICA