02157nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001260001200042653002100054653002200075653001900097653001600116653003000132653002200162100001300184700001300197700001600210245013000226856010400356520146500460022001401925       2021                            d  c05/202110aNTD supply chain10acapacity building10ahealth systems10apharmacists10apreventative chemotherapy10areverse logistics1 aLinaza R1 aGarner T1 aGenovezos C00aBuilding supply chain capacity for neglected tropical diseases: experience from the Ascend West and Central Africa programme.  uhttps://academic.oup.com/trstmh/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/trstmh/trab068/37938614/trab068.pdf3 a<p>The Ascend West and Central Africa programme, funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is supporting integrated preventative chemotherapy for up to five neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including intestinal worms, lymphatic filariasis, river blindness, trachoma and schistosomiasis. The programme is implemented across 13 countries by a consortium of four leading international development partners: Sightsavers, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Schistosomiasis Control Initiative Foundation and Mott Macdonald. This paper presents messages learnt from country assessments that took place prior to the global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These messages remain relevant post-COVID-19, with greater priority being given to the challenges for national NTD programmes in continuing to deliver mass drug administration (MDA) during the pandemic. Stakeholder coordination from the earliest stages of the pandemic has occurred at two levels: in the first mile with global partners of the NTD Supply Chain Forum and in the last mile with implementing partners in each country. This has been instrumental to manage delayed MDA, including the impact delays have on the shipment of NTD donated drugs and the distribution of stock held in country. The Ascend West and Central Africa programme is supporting countries with the resumption of MDA through a risk assessment and mitigation action (RAMA) process.</p>  a1878-3503