Dr Patricia Graves (Epidemiologist, USA) stayed in PacELF office from 13 to 30 Oct 2004 for making the outline of PacELF Book with Dr Ichimori (PacELF Team Leader). PacELF Book will be made, based on one of the following recommendation of PacELF 6^th Annual Workshop at Apia, Samoa 2004.
“Advocacy and Future PacELF Network;
It is recommended that a publication be compiled of PacELF country programme information including, surveys, MDA coverage, integration activities, IEC materials, management details and lessons learned. The purpose of the book is to document the history of country programmes and to share the experiences of the PacELF region. The book should be published before the 2006 Global Alliance Meeting in Fiji.”

New JOCV volunteers from Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and their country programme staff were participated in the workshop on PacELF held 12 to 14 October 2004 in Mataika house, Fiji.

Vanuatu has completed the 5^th MDA from May to September 2004. Vanuatu MDA team is now busy for the data entry and making a report.

Dr Eric Ottesen (LF Center, Emory University), Dr Tom Burkot (Entomologist, CDC), Dr Ngoc Lam Nguyen (Epidemiologist, Institute Louis Malarde) worked for PacELF Workshop, PacELF Annual Meeting Report and Country programme from August to September 2004.

Message from Dr James Wangi (Director Disease Control, Papua New Guinea), “Hello, every one. Upon arrival from our good and enjoyable meeting in Samoa, we have gone into action to put our national ELF action plan together. Dr Ichimori was here for close to 10 days and assisted us to complete our national plan and also, provincial action plan for the province we will launch the MDA from, in June next year. So certainly we have some interesting news for the website.”

The Sixth Annual PacELF Workshop met in Apia, Samoa from 23 to 27 August 2004. Representatives of 16 Pacific island countries and areas (PICAs) met with technical advisors, consultants, PacELF partners, representatives of the country, regional and Geneva WHO offices, and members of the PacELF home office. The participants discussed the accomplishments achieved during the last year and learned of the latest technical advances in the effort to eliminate LF.

A highlight of the workshop was the presentation of the host country, Samoa, on its completion of five rounds of MDA in 2003, the first PacELF member to do so. During 2004, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Niue and Vanuatu also completed five rounds of MDA. In recognition of this success, the workshop devoted a lot of effort discussing the next steps in documenting the status of LF in the countries as well as what steps could be taken to ensure success in sustaining the low levels of LF now present in many areas of the Pacific.

Technical Advisory Group on the Global Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (TAG-ELF) Report of the Fifth Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland 3-6 February 2004 stated PacELF programme on page 27 of the report. The article of the PacELF programme is below.

14.2.3 PacELF

PacELF is the most successful and advanced of all regional programmes. Many Pacific island countries and territories have already completed three or more rounds of MDA and are now facing decisions on stopping further MDA campaigns. A variety of geographical and epidemiological factors, including small and widely dispersed island populations, frequent travel between islands, and mosquito vectors of high efficiency, pose special challenges for lymphatic filariasis elimination in the Pacific region. PacELF has responded to these challenges, in part, by adapting the GPELF guidelines.

TAG-ELF commended PacELF on the progress achieved. Recognizing the risk of recrudescence of Microfilaraemia, which has been such an unpleasant surprise in the past, TAG-ELF endorsed the intensive monitoring and evaluation now being planned in PacELF countries, especially in areas where supplemental efforts such as vector control, geographically limited MDAs, or DEC salt are required to interrupt transmission. The results of monitoring these activities will be extremely useful to GPELF.

PacELF Home Office received 1,186,000 Albendazole tablets for MDA provided by GSK on 6 July 2004. PacELF Home Office distributed Albendazole tablets to 4 countries (American Samoa, Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu) on 7 July 2004.

Kiribati and Tuvalu have started preparation for the 4th MDA 2004.

The final prevalence survey, covering all areas of Samoa is now ongoing, to assess the impact of 5 rounds of MDAs (1999-2003).

Niue has distributed tablets to all residents for MDAs from 2000 to 2003, and the 5th round of MDA has launched in June 2004.

PacELF Home Office received 15,215,000 DEC tablets for MDA provided by JICA on 8 June 2004. PacELF Home Office distributed DEC tablets to 6 countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu) on 11 June 2004. Rest of DEC tablets for Niue, Tonga and Vanuatu will distribute to the countries in November 2004.

PacELF Home Office received 68,000 test cards of ICT RAK kit provided by JICA on 6 May 2004. All kits were distributed to 14 countries (Cook Islands, F.S. Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) on 10 and 11 May 2004.

Vanuatu has launched the 5th MDA in May 2004. Vanuatu has achieved high MDA coverage from 2000 to 2003. We wish successful MDA in 2004.