welcome
Welcome to Footwork, the International Podoconiosis Initiative. Footwork brings together public and private partners to support prevention and treatment of podoconiosis. Footwork encourages integration of podoconiosis control into efforts to eliminate other Neglected Tropical Diseases, and works with those active in other related diseases of the foot.
Our shared goal is to eliminate podoconiosis within our lifetimes.
To access the user forum and specialist content for implementers, please register via ‘Community Access’.
announcements
A New Leadership Face in the Fight against Podoconiosis in Ethiopia
Biruk Kebede appointed as very first NaPAN General Manager.
Neglected Tropical Diseases Symposium
Call for abstracts
The NTDs symposium will be held in Addis Ababa from 12-14 June 2013, under the theme: INTEGRATE, SCALE-UP & SUSTAIN. Abstract submissions welcome. Deadline: 20th April 2013.
GoLBeT Trial: A study of the effectiveness of treatment for podoconiosis
The recently funded GoLBeT Trial has been added to this website. Keep updated with the study's progress over the next three years. Read more about the trial in our 'current research' section.
latest news
Podo featured on the Wikipedia "Did you know?" page
Featured on 21st February 2013, 00:00 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Recent_additions/2013/February
Epidemiological mapping of podoconiosis in northern Ethiopia
Wellcome Trust funded project allowing Training Fellow, Kebede Deribe to use his new technique to map podoconiosis and lymphatic filariasis nationwide.
Funding awarded for podoconiosis research
Researchers at Addis Ababa University, the Kilifi Clinical Trials Facility, the University of Sussex and Brighton & Sussex Medical School have been awarded funding to conduct a randomised controlled trial of podoconiosis lymphoedema management in northern Ethiopia.
what is podoconiosis?
Podoconiosis (or simply ‘podo’) is a form of elephantiasis or swelling of the lower leg triggered by prolonged exposure to irritant minerals in red clay soils. There is no infectious or contagious agent: no parasite, no bacterium, no virus is involved. It was classified as a Neglected Tropical Disease by the World Health Organization in 2011.
An estimated 4 million people in highland tropical Africa are affected with podoconiosis, and evidence suggests widespread endemicity in more than 15 countries throughout the world.
Although the disease is both preventable (by avoiding contact with irritant soil) and treatable (through simple, inexpensive foot hygiene and protection), there are as yet no government-backed assistance programs for addressing prevention and treatment of podoconiosis.
Individuals afflicted with podoconiosis suffer debilitating physical effects, including attacks when the leg becomes warm, painful and even more swollen, and are ostracised from their communities because of misconceptions about the cause of podoconiosis.
where is it found?
Podoconiosis has been described in at least 15 countries in the tropics in Africa, central America and Asia. These countries share a volcanic history, and the disease is primarily found in remote rural areas where subsistence farmers typically work in the fields barefoot. In Africa, podoconiosis has been documented in Ethiopia, Cameroon, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan, and the islands of Cape Verde, Bioko, Sao Tome & Principe. Footwork is eager to find partners who will help us validate and document podoconiosis in central America and Asia.
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