Hypo-endemic onchocerciasis hotspots: defining areas of high risk through micro-mapping and environmental delineation

Abstract

Onchocerciasis (river blindness) is a neglected tropical disease (NTD), caused by the parasite Onchocerca volvulus and transmitted by riverine vector of Simulium spp.(Blackflies) [1, 2]. The highest burden of onchocerciasis occurs in Africa, and over the past two decades the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) has focussed its efforts on the control of high transmission meso- and hyper-endemic areas through mass drug administration (MDA) with the drug Mectizan® (ivermectin), based on the community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTi) platform [3-5]. The CDTi approach has largely been effective and sustainable, and in 2010 a momentous decision was made to expand the programme to include all endemic areas and aim for the elimination of onchocerciasis by the year 2025 [6, 7].