Transforming Women’s Health Through Science, Action, and CollaborationTogether with communities, researchers, health care providers, and policymakers, WINGS-4-FGS is finding ways to effectively detect and treat the neglected disease Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) and giving women and girls the health and dignity they deserve.Discover Our Story
Transforming Women’s Health Through Science, Action, and CollaborationTogether with communities, researchers, health care providers, and policymakers, WINGS-4-FGS is finding ways to effectively detect and treat the neglected disease Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) and giving women and girls the health and dignity they deserve.Discover Our Story
Founded in 1900, the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), has been an independent, non-profit research institution in the form of a foundation under public law based in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg since 2008. The BNITM is a leading German institution focused on research, teaching, training and further education as well as counselling and care in the field of infectious diseases of poverty and global health. With over 400 employees in Hamburg and partner countries such as Gabon and Ghana, the BNITM has made significant contributions to infectious disease research.
The Research Group Implementation Research is led by Dr. Daniela Fusco and has been running field projects in Madagascar (additional studies are conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly in francophone-Africa) for seven years with a focus on operational and implementation research studies aimed at identifying solutions for prevention and management of diseases of poverty, with a main emphasis on NTDs and schistosomiasis. The group has established a national FGS network in Madagascar, strengthening clinical capacity and engaging communities in disease identification, and collaboration with local authorities has helped create a national implementation plan for schistosomiasis guidelines.
Role within WINGS-4-FGS
Leading Work Package 4: The BNITM will leverage its longstanding experience with FGS research in Madagascar to identify challenges and opportunities for the integration of FGS services into sexual and reproductive health programmes in the partner countries.
Dr Jana Hey
“I think one of the biggest problems with FGS is that we cannot treat it properly yet, so even if diagnosed, what can really be done for the affected girls and women? This project could be a first step towards new treatment possibilities for FGS, which would have big implications on public and global health.”
