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Onchocerciasis control in Ghana (1974-2016)
Nana-Kwadwo Biritwum1,2, Dziedzom K de Souza3, Odame Asiedu4
1Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana. nkadbiritwum@gmail.com.
Parasites & Vectors
|January 3, 2021
Summary
Onchocerciasis control in Ghana has been highly successful, drastically reducing infection prevalence from 69.13% to 0.72% through strategies like community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI). Continued support is vital for onchocerciasis elimination efforts.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Parasitology
Background:
- Onchocerciasis control in Ghana began in 1974 under the Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP).
- Control strategies evolved from vector control and mobile treatment to community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) by 1997.
- The Ghana OCP (GOCP) shifted focus from control to elimination in 2016.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of onchocerciasis control interventions in Ghana from 1974 to 2016.
- To evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of CDTI.
- To analyze changes in prevalence indicators and guide future elimination strategies.
Main Methods:
- Review of programme data spanning 1974 to 2016.
- Evaluation of community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) implementation.
- Analysis of microfilaria (Mf) prevalence and rapid epidemiological mapping data.
Main Results:
- Onchocerciasis prevalence significantly decreased from 69.13% in 1975 to 0.72% in 2015.
- Mean community microfilaria load dropped from 14.48 MF/skin snip to 0.07 MF/skin snip.
- Therapeutic coverage increased from 58.50% to 83.80% between 1997 and 2016, with nearly 100 million ivermectin tablets distributed.
Conclusions:
- Onchocerciasis control in Ghana has been highly successful, achieving substantial reductions in infection.
- Some communities still exceed the 1% microfilaria prevalence threshold, indicating ongoing transmission.
- Sustained guidance and financial support are crucial for achieving the elimination goal of the GOCP.
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