by Vinkeles Melchers NVS, Coffeng LE, Boussinesq M, Pedrique B, Pion SDS, Tekle AH, Zouré HGM, Wanji S, Remme JH, Stolk WA. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2019, ciz647, doi: 10.1093/cid/ciz647
Summary: The elimination of onchocerciasis through mass drug administration is hampered by coendemicity of Loa loa, as people with high L. loa microfilariae density can develop serious adverse events (SAEs) after ivermectin treatment. The authors assessed the geographical overlap of onchocerciasis and loiasis prevalence and estimated the number of coinfected individuals at risk of post-ivermectin SAEs in West and Central Africa from 1995 to 2025. The authors predict that under current strategies at least 31,000 coinfected people at risk of SAEs will still require treatment for onchocerciasis in 2025. Continued efforts in research and development for safer drugs and control strategies are still needed.
This paper is a corrected proof.
