African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control 1995–2015: Updated Health Impact Estimates Based on New Disability Weights

Coffeng, Luc E.; Stolk, Wilma A.; Zouré, Honorat; Veerman, Lennert; Agblewonu, Koffi B.; Murdoch, Michele E.; Noma, Mounkaïla; Fobi, Grace; Richardus, Jan Hendrik; Bundy, Donald; Habbema, Dik; Vlas, Sake J. de; Amazigo, Uche

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002759

Cited by 47 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The burden of the disease remains a major public health challenge for most especially endemic African countries. Coffeng and colleagues, in their updated estimates of the health impact of African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) suggested, that the program obviated about 19 million DALYs through 2015, thereby significantly reducing the economic burden of the affection compared to previous estimates [11]. However, despite this great positive economic impact of the APOC, they proposed that the true burden of onchocercal disease was more than presented in their estimates since they failed to consider the influence of other sequela linked with onchocerciasis like epilepsy [12], disfiguring skin disease and the head-nodding syndrome which has been shown to have a significant association with the disease especially in Sub-Saharan Africa [13–15].…”

Section: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An appraisal of the neglected tropical diseases control program in Cameroon: the case of the national program against onchocerciasis

Njim

Aminde

2017

BMC Public Health

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BackgroundOnchocerciasis is a severe parasitic infestation which causes disabling skin and subcutaneous tissue changes. Current global estimates suggest that it accounts for 1135.7 disability adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100,000 population. The disease is endemic in many African countries including Cameroon, probably suggesting that the current health policies are inadequate to achieve eradication of the disease. We aimed to appraise the current Onchocerciasis control program in Cameroon in the context of existing literature.MethodsWe carried out a MEDLINE search via PubMed to source for articles on Onchocerciasis in Cameroon.ResultsOur appraisal of the literature suggests that Onchocerciasis poses a significant health and economic burden in Cameroon. A composite of factors contribute to the challenge of containing and eradicating Onchocerciasis in Cameroon and include: continuous transmission of the disease; non-compliance to mass drug administration; inability of health care providers (HCPs) to adequately diagnose the disease; limited access of most individuals in endemic zones to annual preventive chemotherapy and inadequate population education on simple and practical measures to prevent the disease. More robust population-based epidemiologic studies are needed to better quantify the current disease burden and consequently guide intervention strategies for complete disease eradication.ConclusionOnchocerciasis is still a neglected tropical disease (NTD) in Cameroon and urgently demands a need for intensification and probably modification of some strategies in the current onchocerciasis elimination program. Control of the disease will contribute to achievement of the corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) quota.

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Section: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An appraisal of the neglected tropical diseases control program in Cameroon: the case of the national program against onchocerciasis

Njim

Aminde

2017

BMC Public Health

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“…The premise of community directed treatment programs supported by African Program for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) was that the target communities assume full ownership and responsibility for planning, implementing, overseeing control of Onchocerciasis and emerge as a lead stakeholder [24, 34, 35]. This strategy, launched in the mid-1990s, was sustained over a 20 year period to reach 100.79 million people by 2013 and is estimated to have decreased the number of people infected from 37.9 million in 1995 to 15.1 million in 2011 [49]. In Tanzania, the development and implementation of community-based action plans for emergency transportation for pregnant women was centered around the idea that community members must take the lead in decision making, and emphasized the participation of women in these processes [41].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergies, strengths and challenges: findings on community capability from a systematic health systems research literature review

George

Scott

Mehra

et al. 2016

BMC Health Serv Res

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BackgroundCommunity capability is the combined influence of a community’s social systems and collective resources that can address community problems and broaden community opportunities. We frame it as consisting of three domains that together support community empowerment: what communities have; how communities act; and for whom communities act. We sought to further understand these domains through a secondary analysis of a previous systematic review on community participation in health systems interventions in low and middle income countries (LMICs).MethodsWe searched for journal articles published between 2000 and 2012 related to the concepts of “community”, “capability/participation”, “health systems research” and “LMIC.” We identified 64 with rich accounts of community participation involving service delivery and governance in health systems research for thematic analysis following the three domains framing community capability.ResultsWhen considering what communities have, articles reported external linkages as the most frequently gained resource, especially when partnerships resulted in more community power over the intervention. In contrast, financial assets were the least mentioned, despite their importance for sustainability. With how communities act, articles discussed challenges of ensuring inclusive participation and detailed strategies to improve inclusiveness. Very little was reported about strengthening community cohesiveness and collective efficacy despite their importance in community initiatives. When reviewing for whom communities act, the importance of strong local leadership was mentioned frequently, while conflict resolution strategies and skills were rarely discussed.Synergies were found across these elements of community capability, with tangible success in one area leading to positive changes in another. Access to information and opportunities to develop skills were crucial to community participation, critical thinking, problem solving and ownership. Although there are many quantitative scales measuring community capability, health systems research engaged with community participation has rarely made use of these tools or the concepts informing them. Overall, the amount of information related to elements of community capability reported by these articles was low and often of poor quality.ConclusionsStrengthening community capability is critical to ensuring that community participation leads to genuine empowerment. Our simpler framework to define community capability may help researchers better recognize, support and assess it.

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“…[18][19][20] Human infection has been tackled in endemic areas through annual or semi-annual mass drug administration of ivermectin and only 21-22 million people (almost exclusively in Africa) remain infected with O. volvulus. 21 Since the prodigious drug donation operation began, 1.5 billion treatments have been approved. Latest figures show that an estimated 186.6 million people worldwide are still in need of treatment, with over 112.7 million people being treated yearly, predominantly in Africa.…”

Section: The Past: Unmatched Successesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ivermectin: enigmatic multifaceted ‘wonder’ drug continues to surprise and exceed expectations

2017

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Over the past decade, the global scientific community have begun to recognize the unmatched value of an extraordinary drug, ivermectin, that originates from a single microbe unearthed from soil in Japan. Work on ivermectin has seen its discoverer, Satoshi Ōmura, of Tokyo's prestigious Kitasato Institute, receive the 2014 Gairdner Global Health Award and the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with a collaborating partner in the discovery and development of the drug, William Campbell of Merck & Co. Incorporated. Today, ivermectin is continuing to surprise and excite scientists, offering more and more promise to help improve global public health by treating a diverse range of diseases, with its unexpected potential as an antibacterial, antiviral and anti-cancer agent being particularly extraordinary.

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African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control 1995–2015: Updated Health Impact Estimates Based on New Disability Weights

Cited by 47 publications

References 14 publications

An appraisal of the neglected tropical diseases control program in Cameroon: the case of the national program against onchocerciasis

An appraisal of the neglected tropical diseases control program in Cameroon: the case of the national program against onchocerciasis

Synergies, strengths and challenges: findings on community capability from a systematic health systems research literature review

Ivermectin: enigmatic multifaceted ‘wonder’ drug continues to surprise and exceed expectations

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