NAME: AKINSIKA EMMANUELLA OLUWATOSIN
ID NUMBER: 01151720
CLASS: TRIMESTER 7
COURSE: PARASITOLOGY.
ASSIGNMENT: Write a literature review paper of at least 1500 words and not exceeding 2000 words (excluding references and title) reviewing the current state of knowledge on the problems associated with Onchocerciasis in Africa and the challenges faced with eradicating it or keeping it under control.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES.
The aim and objectives of this project work are to enlighten the reader on the following: Definition of Onchocerciasis Epidemiology of Onchocerciasis Transmission of Onchocerciasis Morbidity and symptoms of Onchocerciasis Diagnosis of Onchocerciasis Prevention of Onchocerciasis Treatment of Onchocerciasis
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Troublesome itching associated with dermal Onchocerciasis makes working, studying, or interacting socially difficult.
Onchocercal skin disease also diminishes peoples income generating capacity, and the school dropout rate is twice as high among children from households in which the head of the household is affected by onchocercal skin disease.
Onchocerciasis is responsible for a considerable burden of disease, mainly because of visual impairment, blindness, disfiguring skin lesions, and severe itching, which are the results of continuous exposure to microfilariae. Most of the global burden of Onchocerciasis (.99%) is found in sub-Saharan Africa. In the West African savanna, where Onchocerciasis is of a severely blinding form (savanna type), fear of blindness previously led to abandonment of fertile river basins.
Onchocerciasis programmes are restricted to relatively limited endemic foci, it is not feasible to parse out or quantify the degree that benefits achieved at the local level accrue to a national life.
Individuals with onchocerciasis spend more money seeking
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volvulus, where possible. With this new motivation, we may indeed expect focal elimination of infection, resulting in even more health gains from mass treatment with ivermectin in the future and the possibility of being able to end mass treatment altogether. According to the simulations, APOC has had a remarkable impact on population health in Africa. This health impact is expected to double during the subsequent five years. Further, APOC is a highly cost-effective public health programs, and given the anticipated elimination of onchocerciasis from APOC areas, we expect even more health gains and a more profitable cost-effectiveness of mass treatment with ivermectin in the near future. Our study fully supports the advice to continue APOC activities for another ten