High prevalence of epilepsy in onchocerciasis endemic health areas in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Background:A high prevalence of epilepsy has been observed in many onchocerciasis endemic regions.This study is to estimate the prevalence of active epilepsy and exposure to Onchocerca volvulus infection in a rural population in Ituri province,Democratic Republic of Congo.Methods:In August 2016,a community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in an onchocerciasis endemic area in the rural health zone of Logo,Ituri Province.Households within two neighbouring health areas were randomly sampled.To identify persons with epilepsy,a three-stage approach was used.In the first stage,all individuals of the selected households were screened for epilepsy by non-medical field workers using a validated 5-item questionnaire.In the second and third stage,suspected cases of epilepsy were examined by non-specialist medical doctors,and by a neurologist,respectively.A case of epilepsy was defined according to the 2014 International League Against Epilepsy(ILAE)guidelines.Exposure to O.volvulus was assessed by testing for IgG4 antibodies to an O.volvulus antigen(OV16 Rapid Test,)in individuals aged 3 years and older.Results:Out of 1389 participants included in the survey,64 were considered to have active epilepsy(prevalence 4.6%)(95%confidence interval[CI]:3.6-5.8).The highest age-specific epilepsy prevalence estimate was observed in those aged 20 to 29 years(8.2%).Median age of epilepsy onset was 10 years,with a peak incidence of epilepsy in the 10 to 15 year-old age group.OV16 test results were available for 912 participants,of whom 30.5%(95%CI,27.6-33.6)tested positive.The prevalence of OV16 positivity in a village ranged from 8.6 to 68.0%.After adjusting for age,gender and ivermectin use,a significant association between exposure to onchocerciasis and epilepsy was observed(adjusted odds ratio=3.19,95%CI:1.63-5.64)(P<0.001).Conclusions:A high prevalence of epilepsy and a significant association between epilepsy and exposure to O.volvulus were observed in the population in Ituri province,Democratic Republic of Congo.There is an urgent need to implement a CDTI programme and to scale up an epilepsy treatment and care programme.

Soil-transmitted helminth infection in school age children in Sierra Leone after a decade of preventive chemotherapy interventions

Background:Baseline mapping of soil-transmitted helminth(STH)infections among school age children(SAC)in 2008-2009 found high or moderate prevalence in 13 of the 14 districts in Sierra Leone.Following these surveys,mass drug administration(MDA)of mebendazole/albendazole was conducted biannually at national level targeting pre-school children(PSC)aged 12-59 months and intermittently at sub-national level targeting SAC.In addition,MDA with ivermectin and albendazole for eliminating lymphatic filariasis(LF)has been conducted nationwide since 2010 targeting individuals over 5 years of age.Each MDA achieved high coverage,except in 2014 when all but one round of MDA for PSC was cancelled due to the Ebola emergency.The objective of the current study was to determine the prevalence and intensity of STH infections among SAC after a decade of these deworming campaigns.Methods:Seventy-three schools in 14 districts were purposefully selected,including 39 schools from the baseline surveys,with approximately two sites from each of low,moderate and high prevalence categories at baseline per district.Fresh stool samples were collected from 3632 children aged 9-14 years(male 51%,female 49%)and examined using the Kato Katz technique.Results:The prevalence of STH infections in Sierra Leone decreased in 2016 compared to 2008:Ascaris lumbricoides 4.4%(95%confidence interval[CI]:3.7-5.1%)versus 6.6%(95%CI:0-25%),Trichuris trichiura 0.7%(95%CI:0.5-1.1%)versus 1.8%(95%CI:0-30.2%),hookworm 14.9%(95%CI:13.8-16.1)versus 38.5%(95%CI:5.4-95.1%),and any STH 18.3%(95%CI:17.0-19.5%)versus 48.3%(CI:5.4-96.3%),respectively.In 2016,no district had high hookworm prevalence and four districts had moderate prevalence,compared with eight and four districts respectively in 2008.In 2016,the arithmetic mean hookworm egg count in all children examined was light:45.5 eggs per gram(EPG)of faeces,(95%CI:\35.96-55.07 EPG);three(0.08%)children had heavy infections and nine(0.25%)children had moderate infections.Conclusions:Sierra Leone has made considerable progress toward controlling STH as a public health problem among SAC.As LF MDA phases out(between 2017 and 2021),transition of deworming to other platforms and water and sanitation strategies need to be strengthened to maintain STH control and ultimately interrupt transmission.