Alexandria Lions Club - Gift to Mectizan Program

Founded in 1931, the Alexandria Lions Club was the first Lions Club to be formed in Virgina.

IEF's President and CEO, Victoria Sheffield was invited to speak at the clubs luncheon meeting last November where she gave an overview of IEF's activites around the world.

One of the programs that Victoria talked about was IEF's program in Cameroon that controls the heartbreaking blinding disease Onchocerasis (commonly known as River Blindness) through the wonder drug Mectizan.

The drug is donated by it's manufacturer Merck and Company to NGO'S who distribute it through a network of community organizers. In 2009, IEF successfully treated 95% of the eligible population in the Adouame Provice of Cameroon - almost one million people avoided blindness because they received doses of Mectian.

In recognition of IEF's work in preventing blindness, the Alexandria Lions Club this week made a generous donation in support of the River Blindness Prevention Program. We thank them on behalf of the women, children and families in Cameroon who will rceive their annual preventative doses this year.

Onchocerciasis Treatment Continues in Cameroon.

IEF supported the treatment of 802,351 persons with Mectizan® during 2008 in two Provinces in Cameroon, reports Mr. Patrice Nkwelle, IEF’s Project Director in Cameroon.

With the generous support of the Mectizan® Donation Program (MDP), the Lions SightFirst Program, the Lions Coalition, Cameroon, and the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), over 1.1 million persons living in hyper and meso-endemic communities in Adamaoua Province in the north and South Province in the south are targeted for annual treatment with Mectizan®.

During May and June, 802,351 persons living in 3,330 communities received over 2.27 million Mectizan® tablets through a network of 6,672 Community Directed Distributors (CDDs). Each Province has achieved 100% geographic coverage and an average therapeutic coverage level (total population at risk) of 72%. Among the population at risk and eligible to receive treatment, the coverage level averaged 87% for both Provinces. Adamaoua Province has finished its 10th and South Province its 5th annual distribution cycle under the APOC Programme. Congratulations to Patrice and his dedicated team and to the Lions Coalition Cameroon for their continued dedication and hard work!

John Barrows

June 2009