Effects of the suspension of mass drug administration during the COVID-19 pandemic on onchocerciasis prevalence in the Bandjoun and Massangam health districts, West Region of Cameroon.

Autor: Shintouo CM; Department of Gerontology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium; Frailty in Ageing Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63 Buea, Cameroon., Shey RA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63 Buea, Cameroon; Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology and Molecular Medicine, IBMM, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies Campus, 126040 Gosselies, Belgium., Yengo BN; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63 Buea, Cameroon., Yaah NE; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63 Buea, Cameroon., Teh RN; Department of Zoology and Animal Physiology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon., Ngwese RA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63 Buea, Cameroon., Ayong L; Malaria Research Unit, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaounde´, Cameroon., Vanhamme L; Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology and Molecular Medicine, IBMM, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies Campus, 126040 Gosselies, Belgium., Souopgui J; Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology and Molecular Medicine, IBMM, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Gosselies Campus, 126040 Gosselies, Belgium. Electronic address: jacob.souopgui@ulb.be., Ghogomu SM; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63 Buea, Cameroon. Electronic address: stephen.ghogomu@ubuea.cm., Njemini R; Department of Gerontology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium; Frailty in Ageing Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: Rose.Njemini@vub.be.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Acta tropica [Acta Trop] 2023 Oct; Vol. 246, pp. 106999. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Aug 06.
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.106999
Abstrakt: Onchocerciasis is an infectious disease of public health and socio-economic importance in most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the suspension of implementation activities towards combating onchocerciasis in the Bandjoun and Massangam health districts in the West Region of Cameroon as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained using a structured questionnaire. All participants in both health districts were examined for the presence of clinical manifestations of onchocerciasis. In addition, two skin snips were obtained from the knee of each participant and examined for the presence of microfilaria. All data were categorized, coded, entered in a database, and analysed using SPSS version 23.0. A total of 229 participants in the Bandjoun health district and 378 in the Massangam health district were recruited for the study. In both health districts, there was no significant difference between male and female participants in terms of the clinical manifestations of onchocerciasis. The prevalence of nodules was 8.7% in the Bandjoun health district and 20.6% in the Massangam health district while the prevalence of microfilaria carriers in Bandjoun and Massangam health districts was 3.5% and 3.7%, respectively. Except for the Tsesse and Lemgo communities in the Bandjoun health district, there was a reduction in the prevalence of microfilaria in the communities that were studied when compared to previous data obtained before the disruption of control programmes activities. Overall, in both health districts, elderly individuals bear the largest burden of onchocerciasis. Based on the results obtained, we conclude that the temporary suspension of Neglected Tropical Disease control programme activities by the World Head Organization as a result of COVID-19 may have resulted to recrudescence of O. volvulus transmission in hypoendemic communities in the Bandjoun health district.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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