Luís-Jorge Amaral, Stephen Raimon Jada, Aimee Kemayou Ndjanfa, Jane Y Carter, Gasim Abd-Elfarag, Samuel Okaro, Makoy Yibi Logora, Yak Yak Bol, Thomson Lakwo, Joseph N Siewe Fodjo, Robert Colebunders
OBJECTIVES: The potential impact of cumulative community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) on epilepsy epidemiology in Mvolo County, South Sudan, an onchocerciasis-endemic area with high epilepsy prevalence, was investigated. Annual CDTI was introduced in 2002 in Mvolo, with interruptions in 2016 and 2020. METHODS: Comprehensive house-to-house surveys in Mvolo (June 2020 and 2022) identified cases of epilepsy, including probable nodding syndrome (pNS). Community workers screened households in selected sites for suspected epilepsy, and medical doctors confirmed the diagnosis and determined the year of seizure onset...
March 21, 2024: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases