Schistosomiasis Consortium for Operational Research and Evaluation: Mission Accomplished

The Schistosomiasis Consortium for Operational Research and Evaluation (SCORE), a program focusing on schistosomiasis control in sub-Saharan Africa between 2008 and 2019, investigated ways to improve coverage and efficacy of ongoing chemotherapy programs and concluded that because of continued transmission, mass distribution of praziquantel cannot eliminate the disease without complementary control activities. Schistosomiasis Consortium for Operational Research and Evaluation’s activities comprised large-scale, multicountry field studies comparing various mass drug administration strategies and some specific research avenues, such as assessment of high-sensitivity diagnostics, identification of hotspots, quantification of the role of the snail host, predictive modeling, and changes in schistosome population genetics under drug pressure. The discoveries made and the insights gained regarding cost-effective strategies for delivering preventive chemotherapy should assist policy makers to develop guidelines for the control and ultimate elimination of schistosomiasis.