Abidjan, Sept. 14, 2021 (AIP) - 

The team of researchers, led by Professor Benjamin Koudou, won the 11th CSRS-Eremitage Foundation Prize for Research, with a score of 16.8 out of 20 points.

Members of the winning team received their prize on Saturday, September 11, 2021, in Abidjan-Cocody, on the sidelines of the international colloquium on the role of transformational research in sub-Saharan Africa, organized by the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire (CSRS). The prize is endowed with a budget of 15,000 Swiss francs, or about nine million CFA francs. It encourages researchers from different research institutions to collaborate and work in partnership.

Prof. Benjamin Koudou, Director of Research and Development at CSRS in Côte d'Ivoire, and his team presented the project entitled "Contribution of CSRS to the efforts to eliminate malaria and lymphatic filariasis". The results of this work led the World Health Organization (WHO) to change its policy on the treatment of lymphatic filariasis (commonly known as elephant's foot) by recommending triple therapy instead of dual therapy, which had been recommended for more than 25 years.

"However, triple therapy cannot be used in onchocerciasis co-endemic countries because of the lethal side effects of diethylcarbamazine. Currently, triple therapy is used in 24 countries in Africa and Asia not endemic to lymphatic filariasis and has saved about $180,000 this year in treatments against this disease," said Prof. Koudou.

The jury of this prize congratulated the winning team of researchers for their scientific rigor and their contribution to the efforts to eliminate malaria and lymphatic filariasis.

Lymphatic filariasis is transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. When bitten, a parasite is deposited, which then travels to the lymphatic system. Most cases are asymptomatic. In rare cases, long-term damage to the lymphatic system can cause swelling of the legs, arms and genitals. The disease also increases the risk of frequent bacterial infections that harden and thicken the skin (elephantiasis).

(AIP)