Focus of Ongoing Onchocerciasis Transmission Close to Bangui, Central African Republic
Eric de Smet,
Salvatore Metanmo,
Pascal Mbelesso,
Benoit Kemata,
Joseph N. Siewe Fodjo,
Farid Boumédiène,
Hilda T. Ekwoge,
Emmanuel Yangatimbi,
Daniel Ajzenberg,
Orphee Badibanga,
Pierre-Marie Preux,
Robert Colebunders
Affiliations
Eric de Smet
Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
Salvatore Metanmo
INSERM, University of Limoges, CHU Limoges, IRD, U1094 Tropical Neuroepidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, GEIST, 87000 Limoges, France
Pascal Mbelesso
Faculté des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Bangui, Bangui BP:3183, Central African Republic
Benoit Kemata
Onchocerciasis Control Programme, Neglected Disease Control Programme, Bangui P.O. Box 883, Central African Republic
Joseph N. Siewe Fodjo
Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
Farid Boumédiène
INSERM, University of Limoges, CHU Limoges, IRD, U1094 Tropical Neuroepidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, GEIST, 87000 Limoges, France
Faculté des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Bangui, Bangui BP:3183, Central African Republic
Daniel Ajzenberg
INSERM, University of Limoges, CHU Limoges, IRD, U1094 Tropical Neuroepidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, GEIST, 87000 Limoges, France
Orphee Badibanga
Association to Promote Neurosciences (APRONES), Kinshasa XI P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Pierre-Marie Preux
INSERM, University of Limoges, CHU Limoges, IRD, U1094 Tropical Neuroepidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, GEIST, 87000 Limoges, France
Robert Colebunders
Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
Recently, there were anecdotal reports of a high number of persons with epilepsy, including children with nodding seizures in the Landja Mboko area located about 9 km from the capital city Bangui, Central African Republic. We suspected the area to be endemic for onchocerciasis, and that the alleged increase in the number of epilepsy cases was due to ongoing Onchocerca volvulus transmission. However, ivermectin mass drug distribution (MDA) had never been implemented in the area. Therefore we performed an Ov16 antibody prevalence study among children, aged 6–9 years, using the biplex rapid diagnostic test (SD Bioline Oncho/LF biplex IgG4 RDT). The overall Ov16 seroprevalence was 8.9%, and that of lymphatic filariasis (LF) was 1.9%. Ov16 seropositivity was highest in Kodjo (20.0%), a village close to rapids on the river. Our study shows that there is ongoing O. volvulus transmission in the Landja Mboko area. We recommend that the extent of this onchocerciasis focus should be mapped, and the introduction of ivermectin MDA should be considered in these communities.
