The Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on Women’s Health and Wellbeing in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): A Case Study of Kenya

Ochola, Elizabeth A.; Elliott, Susan J.; Karanja, Diana M. S.

doi:10.3390/ijerph18042180

Cited by 21 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The study was conducted in Kenya, which lies on the east coast of Africa, an area endemic for lymphatic filariasis (LF), schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), trachoma, among other NTDs [ 54 ]. The Ministry of Health guides the NTD activities in the country through the National Strategic Plan for Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (2016–2020) [ 55 , 56 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local tips, global impact: community-driven measures as avenues of promoting inclusion in the control of neglected tropical diseases: a case study in Kenya

Ochola

Karanja²,

Elliott

2022

Infect Dis Poverty

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Background Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect poor populations with little or no ‘political voice’ to influence control activities. While most NTDs have interventions that work, the biggest challenge remains in delivering targeted interventions to affected populations residing in areas experiencing weak health systems. Despite the upward development trends in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the healthcare worker to population ratio remains exceptionally low, with some areas not served at all; thus, there is a need to involve other personnel for school and community-based healthcare approaches. Nonetheless, the current community-based programs suffer from inconsistent community participation due to a lack of coordinated response, and an expanded intervention agenda that lacks context-specific solutions applicable to rural, urban, and marginalized areas. Methods This research investigated the capacity of local communities to address the burden of NTDs. Informed by the social theory of human capability, the research collected primary qualitative data by conducting key informant interviews and focus group discussions of people infected or affected by NTDs. The interview data were collected and transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis using Nvivo version 12. Results Our findings reveal, first, a need for intersectoral collaboration between governments and affected populations for inclusive and sustainable NTD solutions. Second, a ‘bottom-up’ approach that enhances capacity building, sensitization, and behaviour change for improved uptake of NTD interventions. Third, the enforcement of Public Health Legislative Acts that mandates the reporting and treatment of NTDs such as leprosy. Fourth, the establishment of support groups and counseling services to assist persons suffering from debilitating and permanent effects of NTDs. Conclusions Our research demonstrates the importance of human agency in encouraging new forms of participation leading to the co-production of inclusive and sustainable solutions against NTDs.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local tips, global impact: community-driven measures as avenues of promoting inclusion in the control of neglected tropical diseases: a case study in Kenya

Ochola

Karanja²,

Elliott

2022

Infect Dis Poverty

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“…Currently, the WHO’s list of NTDs comprises 20 diverse communicable diseases prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions of the world (Engels and Zhou 2020; Martínez-Juárez et al 2020; Akinokun et al 2021; Ochola et al 2021). As currently listed, these diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and toxins and include the following: Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, dengue and chikungunya, dracunculiasis, echinococcosis, foodborne trematodiases, human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycoses, onchocerciasis, rabies, scabies and other ectoparasitoses, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases, snakebite envenoming, taeniasis/cysticercosis, trachoma, and yaws (Engels and Zhou 2020; Martínez-Juárez et al 2020).…”

Section: Pointed Advocacy Is Neededmentioning

confidence: 99%

Noma: A Neglected Area for Research

Ogbureke

2022

J Dent Res

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Noma, a debilitating and destructive orofacial gangrene, remains endemic in the poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa and other noma hotbeds across the globe, mainly in countries characterized as underdeveloped economies with significant impoverished populations. Noma mostly affects children and infants. This is in spite of the universally held notion that noma is a preventable disease. Indeed, the current noma status quo has been cast as a human rights shortfall, since this devasting disease overwhelmingly affects children from poor countries. At the recently held Noma Research Day, a renewed call for the World Health Organization (WHO) to recognize and include noma as one of the neglected tropical diseases was accompanied by a recognition that research into all aspects of noma has waned or remained completely lacking—particularly that which addresses the basic science questions of the etiology, pathophysiology/pathobiology, and underlying mechanisms of the disease. Yet, a lack of incremental knowledge on the various aspects of noma continues to hamper our composite understanding of its biology. Without a fundamental understanding of the biology of noma, current preventive measures and treatment modalities will continue to fall short of the goals of prevention and eradication. This opinion piece draws renewed attention to the urgency of listing noma as a neglected tropical disease by the WHO. It also calls for major international research funding agencies, including the WHO and the National Institutes of Health, to renew their resolve to robustly fund structured, collaborative, and coordinated proposals that address questions on the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology/pathobiology, and molecular mechanisms of the disease. This is with a view to achieving more effective public health approaches toward prevention and to designing potential therapeutic regimens for early lesions. These steps are key to the ultimate eradication of noma.

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“…Parasitic diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide [1] and significantly affect socioeconomic disadvantaged populations in sub-Saharan Africa [2]. Hundreds of millions of people in the developing world are at risk of parasitic diseases [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The burden of Vector-Borne and Soil-Transmitted Polyparasitism in a Nigerian Rural Community: A cross-sectional study

Akindele

2022

PAJOLS

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Background: Concomitant parasitic infections are common in the developing world, yet most studies focused on a single parasite in a narrow age group. This study investigated the extent of polyparasitism and co-infections in a rural community in Osun State, Nigeria. Methods: Two hundred and forty-seven consenting individuals consisting of 118 males and 129 females participated in this study. Faecal specimens, venous blood, and skin snips were collected from the participants. The Kato-Katz technique was used to screen the faecal samples for soil-transmitted helminth, while Giemsa-stained blood smears were used for Plasmodium falciparum detection. Skin snips microscopy and haematoxylin-stained blood smears were used to diagnose onchocerciasis and loiasis, respectively. Demographic information was collected from all the participants. Results: The prevalence of P. falciparum, hookworms and Ascaris lumbricoides were 55.9%, 19.4% and 26.3%, respectively. The overall prevalence of the filarial infections was 4.5% for Loa loa microfilaremia, 23.5% for Onchocerca volvulus microfilarial. Thirty-eight per cent of the population harboured at least two parasites concurrently. Females (52.2%) were generally more infected with all the helminths than males (48.8%), but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.128). For onchocerciasis prevalence, males (29.7%) were more infected than females (17.8%), and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.035). Co-infection of malaria and loiasis was observed in 1.2% of the population (p=0.051), while 13% were co-infected with malaria and onchocerciasis (p=0.903). Co-infection of malaria and hookworm was observed in 10.5% of the population. The overall mean Packed Cell Volume (PCV) of the population was 40.03±5.84, and no significant difference (p=0.224) was observed between PCV and infection status. Also, no significant association (p=0.051) was observed between the age group and infection status. The intensity of the parasites was classified into 1-9, 10-99, 100-149, and 150 and above. Almost all the helminths except Ascaris lumbricoides had a low grade of helminths (1-9). The intensity was more pronounced in Ascaris lumbricoides than in other helminths. A. lumbricoides + P. falciparum co-infection had a higher geometric mean para-sites density (GMPD) value when compared with only P. falciparum infection. There was no significant difference in co-infection of P. falciparum + loa loa, P. falciparum + O .volvulus and P. falciparum + Hookworm with P. falciparum alone. Conclusion: This study confirmed that polyparasitism is still common in rural communities in the study area. The findings can be used to design and implement appropriate intervention strategies to alleviate morbidity and co-morbidity in rural communities.

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The Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on Women’s Health and Wellbeing in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): A Case Study of Kenya

Cited by 21 publications

References 40 publications

Local tips, global impact: community-driven measures as avenues of promoting inclusion in the control of neglected tropical diseases: a case study in Kenya

Local tips, global impact: community-driven measures as avenues of promoting inclusion in the control of neglected tropical diseases: a case study in Kenya

Noma: A Neglected Area for Research

The burden of Vector-Borne and Soil-Transmitted Polyparasitism in a Nigerian Rural Community: A cross-sectional study

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