The Journey towards a National Plan to Address Schistosomiasis in Madagascar
From connecting with policy makers at the CCSM conference in Antananarivo to developing the draft for the national strategic plan against schistosomiasis: Taking key steps together toward tackling the disease.
After nearly a decade of work in Madagascar, the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) organised in 2023 together with its Malagasy partners the first conference on schistosomiasis in Madagascar titled: Conférence sur les stratégies de contrôle de la schistosomiase à Madagascar (CCSM). Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) and causes a very high disease burden in Madagascar, even by global standards. The Malagasy partners involved in the conference were the University of Fianarantsoa, the Association pour la Promotion de la Santé, de l’Intelligence Artificielle et du Numérique (APSIAN), and the Centre d’Infectiologie Charles Mérieux Madagascar (CICM). The CCSM aimed to create a national network on schistosomiasis. It brought together stakeholders, researchers, policy makers, clinicians, and public health specialists in the field of this disease. As a result of the first CCSM, a joint policy brief was published (Rasoamanamihaja, 2023) to pave the way for the implementation of the newly released guideline for the fight against schistosomiasis in Madagascar. In 2024, the CCSM was held again, further strengthening collaborations between partners and policy makers.
Following the initial conference in 2023, another CCSM was held in 2024. In addition to strengthening cooperation between partners and political actors, this conference laid the foundation for the development of a national strategic plan for the control of schistosomiasis by the authorities.
Moreover, the Malagasy authorities began developing a national strategic plan to eliminate schistosomiasis. To support this effort, the BNITM and its partners were invited by the Malagasy Ministry of Health to contribute to the conceptualisation of this guiding policy document. Under the field leadership of Dr Valentina Marchese, the team produced a first draft of the national strategic plan, ready for review and implementation by the authorities. Unfortunately, due to a sudden change in the coordination of the Malagasy programme, implementing the drafting process stalled in 2024. However, in August 2025, the new director of the programme for the fight against schistosomiasis convened a meeting to bring together experts working in Madagascar. The goal was to revive the initiative and build upon the work previously started by the BNITM and its partners.
The experience in the ABCdM project supporting the development of national policies shows the importance of a stable, long-term collaboration with authorities and stakeholders. It also highlights the political challenges inherent in policy development. Progress is often highly dependent on political ranks and agendas, which can change rapidly and cause fatal delays in advancing such initiatives. The journey of the draft national strategic plan against schistosomiasis shows that collaboration with local authorities is essential, as it not only strengthens policy implementation. It also allows research projects to expand their scope and generate a direct, tangible impact for local populations.
