ABSTRACT
This progress report provides an update on the progress made towards eliminating nnchocerciasis (river blindness) by the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of its road map on neglected tropical diseases for 2021-2030. The report highlights that the goal is to eliminate the need for mass drug administration of ivermectin in at least one focus in 34 countries by 2030, in more than 50% of the population in at least 16 countries and in the entire endemic population in at least 12 countries. However, challenges remain in achieving these goals, including incomplete mapping of all transmission zones, co-endemicity of onchocerciasis and loiasis, a potential decrease in sensitivity to ivermectin, uncoordinated cross-border work, suboptimal programme implementation and inadequate technical and financial resources. COVID-19 has also delayed national programmes, with millions of doses of preventive chemotherapy that should have been distributed expiring. The report also provides regional highlights, including that in 2021, 23 countries reported having treated a total of 142.3 million people for onchocerciasis, representing 58.1% of global coverage, and that the African region faces the greatest challenge with 99% of the global burden of the disease in this region.
ABSTRACT
This article provides a brief overview of the 31st meeting of the International TaskForce for Disease Eradication (ITFDE) that was convened at The Carter Center in Atlanta, GA, USA on 20-21 October 2020 to discuss "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eradication and elimination programmes and the way forward." It highlights the results of 7 eradication programmes, with specific conclusions and recommendations for each: Guinea Worm Eradication Programme(dracunculiasis;GWEP);Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI);elimination programmes for measles and rubella (MR), malaria, river blindness (onchocerciasis;RB), and lymphatic filariasis (LF);and the program for the Global Elimination of Trachoma.
ABSTRACT
In this report, four countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico) have completed the WHO-recommended process for verification of the interruption of human onchocerciasis transmission, and many others have ceased mass drug administration (MDA), completed post-treatment surveillance (PTS), or both in at least one transmission area on their territory. Interruption of transmission enabled governments to preserve the benefits acquired over many years of effective MDA with Ivermectin and to discontinue MDA permanently, thereby protecting populations living in endemic areas from morbidity and infection. The eradication of human onchocerciasis would contribute significantly to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3, which calls for the eradication of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by 2030. All countries endemic for onchocerciasis have reported instances of COVID-19. The impact of the pandemic on NTD interventions has been discussed elsewhere. In many countries, scheduled MDA rounds were postponed due to efforts to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in onchocerciasis-endemic nations. In 2020, 26.9% fewer patients were treated for onchocerciasis than in 2019. MDA was implemented in fewer nations and implementation units in 2020 (1096 versus 1538 in 2019), resulting in a 27.7% decrease in global geographical coverage. The WHO Global Health Observatory provides access to data submitted by governments.