Management of very severe tungiasis cases through repeated community-based treatment with a dimeticone oil formula: A longitudinal study in a hyperendemic region in Uganda.

Autor: McNeilly H; Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, Biomedical Teaching Organisation, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK., Mutebi F; School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda., Thielecke M; Charité Center for Global Health, Institute of International Health, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany., Reichert F; Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany., Banalyaki MB; Innovations for Tropical Disease Elimination (IFOTRODE), Kampala, Uganda., Arono R; Innovations for Tropical Disease Elimination (IFOTRODE), Kampala, Uganda., Mukone G; Innovations for Tropical Disease Elimination (IFOTRODE), Kampala, Uganda., Feldmeier H; Institute of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Charité University Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH [Trop Med Int Health] 2024 Apr; Vol. 29 (4), pp. 303-308. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jan 27.
DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13974
Abstrakt: Tungiasis (sand flea disease) is a neglected tropical disease that is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Tungiasis causes pain, mobility restrictions, stigmatisation and reduced quality of life. Very severe cases with hundreds of sand fleas have been described, but treatment of such cases has never been studied systematically. During a larger community-based tungiasis control programme in a hyperendemic region in Karamoja, northeastern Uganda, 96 very severe tungiasis cases were identified and treated with the dimeticone formula NYDA®. They were repeatedly followed-up and treated again when necessary. The present study traces tungiasis frequency, intensity and morbidity among these 96 individuals over 2 years. At baseline, very severe tungiasis occurred in all age groups, including young children. Throughout the intervention, tungiasis frequency decreased from 100% to 25.8% among the 96 individuals. The overall number of embedded sand fleas in this group dropped from 15,648 to 158, and the median number of embedded sand fleas among the tungiasis cases decreased from 141 to four. Walking difficulties were reported in 96.9% at the beginning and in 4.5% at the end of the intervention. Repeated treatment with the dimeticone formula over 2 years was a successful strategy to manage very severe cases in a hyperendemic community. Treatment of very severe cases is essential to control the spread and burden of tungiasis in endemic communities.
(© 2024 The Authors Tropical Medicine & International Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: