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Chapter 58 - Onchocerciasis

from Section 8 - Helminth Infections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2025

By
Michele Esther Murdoch  and
Ian Elliot Murdoch
Edited by
David Mabey ,
Martin W. Weber ,
Moffat Nyirenda ,
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu ,
Jackson Orem ,
Laura Benjamin ,
Michael Marks  and
Nicholas A. Feasey
David Mabey
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Martin W. Weber
Affiliation:
World Health Organization
Moffat Nyirenda
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
Affiliation:
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana
Jackson Orem
Affiliation:
Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala
Laura Benjamin
Affiliation:
University College London
Michael Marks
Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Nicholas A. Feasey
Affiliation:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
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Summary

The global prevalence of onchocerciasis is estimated at 19.1 million with more than 99% living in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is endemic in 31 African countries, constituting a continental burden of disease of 1.2 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) (Abbafati et al. 2020). Prior to control measures, up to one in 10 individuals in hyperendemic areas was blind, with affected communities abandoning villages. Adolescent girls in Nigeria considered onchodermatitis to be their most significant health problem because of its severe social consequences, and others describe onchodermatitis as ‘Osepuru nwanyi aka na di’ meaning a disease which ‘prevents a girl from getting married’. The Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP) and the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) have been game-changers in reducing disease (Hougard et al. 2001; Coffeng et al. 2014). Current efforts aim towards elimination with mapping of all hypo-endemic areas. A safe, single dose, macrofilaricidal drug would accelerate achieving this goal.

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Principles of Medicine in Africa , pp. 567 - 576
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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