| Starting Out
Many external factors prove to be obstacles in starting an LF elimination programme. LF is a disease of poverty and is considered one of the world’s neglected diseases. Within countries, funding shortages, civil unrest, and gaining political will are all hurdles to cross before LF elimination programmes can be developed. In order for the Global Alliance to achieve its goal of eliminating LF by 2020, these late starters will need additional assistance in starting out their LF elimination programmes.
Countries, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa, which do not yet have fully functioning programmes face many challenges in implementing full-scale elimination programmes.
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Political will
Convincing the government and the population that LF is a problem is essential to the success of the campaign. In areas where there are so many problems – and where the clinical disease associated with LF is hidden due to the stigma associated with it – it can be an uphill battle to persuade the government to prioritise the LF programme.
Funding
With the amount of health and development problems in many of the world’s poorest countries, it is no wonder that finding funding for LF programmes can be difficult. Even when Ministries of Health can provide staff and administrative and drug depot space, the costs of social mobilisation and the logistics of drug delivery are daunting.
Despite these challenges, the Global Alliance is supported not only by the very generous drug and financial donations of GlaxoSmithKline and Merck & Co., Inc., but also by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development, and the Governments of Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others. However, the Global Alliance is continually trying to find ways to help countries find the resources to initiate and implement a LF programme. Global Alliance representatives meet in Europe and North America with the headquarters of corporations with a presence in endemic countries to fundraise for and increase awareness about LF. The Global Alliance also provides training to in-country programme managers on how to secure funding from local corporate and bilateral sources and how to develop collaborations with local partners. In addition, the Global Alliance regularly explores ways to integrate the LF programme with other disease programmes, avoiding duplication, saving resources and better utilising personnel training and social mobilisation.
Civil unrest
In places like the Congo or Sudan, instability makes it difficult to enter into areas where LF might be transmitted. Often these areas are unsafe for health staff to work in and the infrastructure (roads, clinics, etc.) has been destroyed by fighting.
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