The third international meeting of the JSPS Core-to-Core Programme, entitled ‘ Establishment of South-South and Triangular Cooperation Core for Elimination of Asian Zoonotic Schistosomiasis ‘, took place over three days, from 21 to 23 October 2025, in Manila, Republic of the Philippines. The venue was auditorium of College of Medicine at University of the Philippines Manila.
The conference was attended by a total of 37 participants: 15 representatives from the participating project countries (the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia – who participated online – and Indonesia); three researchers from the observer countries of South Korea and Thailand; two representatives from the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (WHO SEARO); six participants from Japan; and eleven researchers involved in the project, both from within and outside the Philippine, including two representatives from the Philippine Bureau of Animal Industry. The proceedings were streamed online, making them accessible to local stakeholders in the Philippines and interested experts and researchers. The meeting facilitated the exchange of information on national efforts towards schistosomiasis elimination in Asian. It also fostered shared recognition of common challenges, such as deficiencies in prevalence monitoring methods for evaluating the effectiveness of mass drug administration (MDA). Furthermore, a WHO NTD Programme Officer provided an overview of the current status of WHO strategies and measures for schistosomiasis elimination in Asia. Representatives from SATREPS projects focusing on schistosomiasis control in Laos and Kenya also shared relevant information.
The Third International Conference marked the launch of the South-East Asia Schistosomiasis Elimination Surveillance Initiative (SEASEI), which was established at the second Vientiane meeting last year. The conference enabled the new consortium to formulate its activity plan for FY 2026 and facilitated discussions on specific initiatives for the second phase of the JSPS Core-to-Core Programme, currently under application.
On the third day of the conference, participants visited the Philippine Carabao Centre (PCC) to observe practical water buffalo research in the Philippines, and discussed the importance of targeting reservoir hosts in schistosomiasis control and specific initiatives to be undertaken.
(Reported by Shin-ichiro Kawazu)
