OBJECTIVE A systematic review and meta-analysis of all available case-control studies on the relationship between onchocerciasis and epilepsy. Because age and level of onchocerciasis endemicity in the area of residence are major determinants for infection, an additional analysis was performed, restricted to studies achieving control of these confounding factors. DATA SOURCES Medical databases...

BACKGROUND Recent studies in Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal have indicated that annual (or biannual) ivermectin distribution may lead to local elimination of human onchocerciasis in certain African foci. Modelling-based projections have been used to estimate the required duration of ivermectin distribution to reach elimination. A crucial assumption has been that microfilarial production by Onchocer...

BACKGROUND Observations were made on the prevalence of onchocerciasis and Onchocercal Skin Diseases (OSD); frequency of occurrence and anatomical distribution of OSD in the Hawal River Valley, an established onchocerciasis endemic focus in north-eastern Nigeria. METHODS Symptoms of OSD were diagnosed in 5 844 subjects using Rapid Assessment Method (RAM) while 1 479 of the subjects chosen from...

1 Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 2 African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 3 School of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Australia, 4 Department of Dermatology, Watford General Hospital, Watford, United Kingdom, 5 Human Development Network, The World Bank, Washingt...

The prevalence of infection in local communities has been used as the basis for the country-wide repartition of onchocerciasis in Cameroon, following the principles for rapid epidemiological mapping of onchocerciasis (REMO) developed by the World Health Organization. The levels of endemicity were evaluated in 349 villages by rapid epidemiological assessment (REA), a method based on the examinat...

Onchocerciasis, caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus, is a parasitic disease leading to debilitating skin disease and blindness, with major economic and social consequences. The pathology of onchocerciasis is principally considered to be a consequence of long-standing host inflammatory responses. In onchocerciasis a subcutaneous nodule is formed around the female worms, the core ...

Onchocerciasis results from infestation by the nematode Onchocerca volvulus and is characterized by troublesome itching, skin lesions, and eye manifestations. Although partially controlled by international mass prevention programs, onchocerciasis remains a major health hazard and is endemic in Africa, Arabia, and the Americas. Onchocerciasis is spread by bites from infested black flies, which t...

Although the depiction of a child leading a blind man is the most enduring image of onchocerciasis in Africa, research activities have hardly involved children. This paper aims at giving voice to children through drawings and their interpretation. The study was conducted in 2009 in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria and Uganda. Children aged 6-16 years were asked to draw thei...

The Neglected Tropical Disease onchocerciasis is a parasitic disease. Despite many control programmes by the World Health Organization (WHO), large communities in West and Central Africa are still affected. Besides logistic challenges during biannual mass drug administration, the lack of a robust, point-of-care diagnostic is limiting successful eradication of onchocerciasis. Towards the impleme...