Integrated Prevalence Assessment of Wuchereria bancrofti and Onchocerca volvulus in Three Co-Endemic Districts of Gambella Region, Ethiopia
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2023 Sep 11:tpmd220392. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0392. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTLymphatic filariasis (LF) and onchocerciasis (OV) are among the neglected tropical diseases (NTD) targeted for elimination in Ethiopia. We used a transmission assessment survey (TAS-1) to evaluate the serological status of OV in three co-endemic districts in Gambella simultaneously. During May and June 2019, blood samples were collected from 6- to 7-year-old children who were randomly selected through standard community-based TAS methodology. Children were tested for both circulating filarial antigen (CFA) for LF via filariasis test strip and for Onchocerca volvulus 16 (Ov16) antibody for OV via laboratory-based ELISA. A total of 3,377 children from 150 villages in the three districts were tested; 1,823 (54.0%) were male. All three districts had CFA results below the critical threshold for stopping LF mass drug administration (MDA). In contrast, 40 children (1.2%) were positive for Ov16 antibody, well above the WHO's OV stop MDA threshold of 0.1%. The integrated assessment indicated two programmatic decisions: stop MDA for LF and continue MDA for OV. Accordingly, albendazole MDA was discontinued in the districts but ivermectin MDA continued. This integrated assessment showed that a random sample for TAS can give important information about OV transmission status in co-endemic areas.PMID:37696513 | DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.22-0392
Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Mohammed Hassen Aderajew Mohammed Tekola Endeshaw Tewodros Seid Fikresilasie Samuel Tadese Asmare Henok Birhanu Firdaweke Bekele Adane Yayeh Fikre Seife Mossie Tamiru Kadu Meribo Zerihun Tadesse Emily Griswold Moses Katabarwa Frank Richards Gregory S Nola Source Type: research
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