Welcome to the website of West African Centre for International Parasite Control (WACIPAC)

WHY PARASITIC DISEASE CONTROL?

Parasitic Diseases still pose major obstacles to health growth and socio-economic development in developing countries. Some, such as malaria, are life threatening and are the leading cause of mortality in endemic countries. Others such as onchocerciasis, shistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis and soil transmitted helminthiasis cause debilitating symptoms, which are chronic and hinder health growth in children and also significantly reduce the productive life of adults. The effects of chronic parasitic infections are further magnified in the context of subsistence economies of rural communities. These effects are believed by many to be the major cause of the poverty and disruption in social stability and economic progress in developing tropical Countries.

What is GPCI & WACIPAC?

In recognition of the huge burden that parasitic diseases place on the socio-economic development and health of the developing world, the former Prime Minister of Japan, late Dr. Ryutaro Hashimoto proposed to the G8 meeting of 1998 (Birmingham Summit) an international cooperation to control parasitic diseases at the global level. In pursuance of this proposition, the Government of Japan committed itself to establish and support three Centres for International Parasite Control (CIPACs) in Asia and Africa for the Global Parasite Control Initiative (GPCI). The centres are the Asian Centre (ACIPAC) at the Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, established in April 2000, the East and Southern African Centre (ESACIPAC) at Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Nairobi, Kenya, established in May 2001, and the West African Centre (WACIPAC), which is based at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana. All the three centres, financially supported by Government of Japan through JICA under technical cooperation agreements, have the mandate to promote, train and build critical human and material capacities at regional levels; the strategy adopted by GPCI.

Since its official launch in January 2004, WACIPAC has undertaken a number of activities in furtherance of parasitic diseases control in the West African sub-region.