| Visual impairment and risk of depression: A longitudinal follow-up study using a national sample cohort.
Choi HG, Lee MJ, Lee S-M. Sci Rep. 2018; 8(1).
Abstract The association of visual impairment and depression has been investigated in several studies based on a cross-sectional design, which cannot delineate temporal relationships. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of visual impairment on depression in all age groups using a longitudinal database of a national sample cohort from 2002 to 2013 provided by the Korean National Health Insurance Service. The risk of depression increased significantly in both the non-blindness visual impairment and blindness subgroups, with a higher HR in the blindness subgroup.
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Schistosomiasis in Zambia: a systematic review of past and present experiences.
Kalinda C, Chimbari MJ, Mukaratirwa S. Infect Dis Poverty. 2018; 7(1):41.
Background The speedy rate of change in the environmental and socio-economics factors may increase the incidence, prevalence and risk of schistosomiasis infections in Zambia. However, available information does not provide a comprehensive understanding of the biogeography and distribution of the disease, ecology and population dynamics of intermediate host snails.
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Neglected tropical diseases and equity in the post-2015 health agenda.
Taylor EM, Smith J. IDS Bull. 2018; 49(2):147-158.
Abstract Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of 17 or so diseases that disproportionately afflict the world's 'bottom billion', are a symbol of global health inequities, in terms of prioritisation, research attention, and treatment. This article traces efforts to include NTDs in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) agenda and, having achieved that goal, lobby for an influential position in the post-2015 aid agenda.
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Soil-transmitted helminthiasis among indigenous communities in Malaysia: Is this the endless malady with no solution?
Mohd-Shaharuddin N, Lim YAL, Hassan NA, et al. Trop Biomed. 2018; 35(1):168-180.
Abstract Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are the most common intestinal parasitic infections of medical importance in human. The infections are widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical countries including Malaysia particularly among disadvantaged and underprivileged communities. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and pattern of STH infections among Temuan indigenous subgroup.
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Perception and incidence of Buruli ulcer in Ogun State, South West Nigeria: intensive epidemiological survey and public health intervention recommended.
Otuh PI, Soyinka FO, Nyemike Ogunro B, et al. Pan Afr Med J. 2018; 29.
Abstract Buruli ulcer (BU) is a highly ranked neglected tropical disease (NTD) of global health importance with increasing incidence in sub-Saharan Africa yet there is paucity of information on the epidemiology of BU in Nigeria. Incidentally, highly BU endemic Benin Republic shares proximity with Nigeria. This study was carried out to establish presence of BU and ascertain the level of BU perception among rural populace in Ogun State, south-west Nigeria.
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Surveillance for lymphatic filariasis after stopping mass drug administration in endemic districts of Togo, 2010-2015.
Dorkenoo MA, Bronzan R, Yehadji D, et al. Parasit Vectors. 2018; 11(1):244.
Abstract Togo is a country previously endemic for lymphatic filariasis (LF). In 2010, following nine years of mass drug administration (MDA) for LF, the country established a post-treatment surveillance (PTS) system. We present here the results of these PTS activities, carried out from 2010 to 2015, as well as the findings of follow-up investigations in 2016 to confirm the absence of infection in previously infected individuals.
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Socio-demographic determinants of dengue infection during an outbreak in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania.
Camara N, Ngasala B, Leyna G, et al. Tanzan J Health Res. 2018; 20(2):1-7.
Abstract In recent years, the eastern coast of Africa has witnessed a number of dengue outbreaks. This study was carried out to determine socio-demographic determinants of dengue infection during the 2014 outbreak in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
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Decision support for evidence-based integration of disease control: A proof of concept for malaria and schistosomiasis.
Standley CJ, Graeden E, Kerr J, et al. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2018; 12(4):e0006328.
Abstract Designing and implementing effective programs for infectious disease control requires complex decision-making, informed by an understanding of the diseases, the types of disease interventions and control measures available, and the disease-relevant characteristics of the local community. Though disease modeling frameworks have been developed to address these questions and support decision-making, the complexity of current models presents a significant barrier to on-the-ground end users.
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Scaling down a deworming program among school-age children after a thirty-year successful intervention in the Bolivian Chaco.
Spinicci M, Macchioni F, Rojo D, et al. Trop. Med. Int. Health. 2018.
Abstract Preventive chemotherapy is the WHO-recommended control method for soil-transmitted helminthiases. In the Bolivian Chaco, 6-monthly single-dose mebendazole delivery to school-age children achieved a dramatic decrease in soil-transmitted helminthiases prevalence between 1987 and 2013. Consequently, in September 2016, preventive chemotherapy delivery was interrupted in 9 rural communities. In compliance with WHO recommendations, we intensified surveillance to monitor soil-transmitted helminthiases prevalence.
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Elimination of onchocerciasis from Colombia: first proof of concept of river blindness elimination in the world.
Nicholls RS, Duque S, Olaya LA, et al. Parasit Vectors. 2018; 11(1):237.
Abstract Onchocerciasis is a chronic parasitic infection originally endemic in 13 discrete regional foci distributed among six countries of Latin America (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Venezuela). In Colombia, this disease was discovered in 1965 in the Pacific Coast of the country. This report provides the empirical evidence of the elimination of Onchocerca volvulus transmission by Simulium exiguum (s.l.) after 12 years of 6-monthly mass drug administration of Mectizan® (ivermectin) to all the eligible residents living in this endemic area.
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Impact of mass drug administration campaigns depends on interaction with seasonal human movement.
Gerardin J, Bertozzi-Villa A, Eckhoff PA, et al. Int Health. 2018:6.
Abstract Mass drug administration (MDA) is a control and elimination tool for treating infectious diseases. For malaria, it is widely accepted that conducting MDA during the dry season results in the best outcomes. However, seasonal movement of populations into and out of MDA target areas is common in many places and could potentially fundamentally limit the ability of MDA campaigns to achieve elimination.
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Status of lymphatic filariasis in five communities of Yorro Local Government Area, Taraba State, Nigeria.
Elkanah SO, Swemwua TC, Elkanah DS, et al. The Nigerian journal of parasitology. 2018; 39(1).
Abstract Lymphatic filariasis is a public health problem in the tropics. A study to determine the status of the disease in five rural communities was carried out in Yorro LGA. The study employed three methods namely, the standard parasitological techniques, Rapid assessment method and the use of structured questionnaire to collect socio-cultural data. A total of 327 night blood samples were collected using finger prick method and analysed.
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Mathematical modeling of lymphatic filariasis-schistosomiasis co-infection dynamics: Insight through public education.
Bonyah E, Okosun KO, Okosun OO, et al. International journal of ecology & development. 2018; 33(2).
Abstract In this paper, a mathematical model for Lymphatic Filariasis–schistosomiasis co-infection dynamics is explore to provide a theoretical mathematical analysis of Lymphatic Filariasis–schistosomiasis dynamics. The disease-free equilibrium is proved to be locally asymptotically stable when the respective epidemic basic reproduction number for the model is less than unity.
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Status of lymphatic filariasis with progression of age and gender & eradication strategies: A survey among residents of Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, an endemic region of North India.
Saeed M, Faisal SM, Ahmad I, et al. Cellular and molecular biology. 2018; 64(4):46-41.
Abstract Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a chronic and debilitating disease that affects people in tropical and sub-tropical areas of Asia, Africa, and Western Pacific. This cross-sectional survey study was carried out in rural areas, where its inhabitants vary in socio-economic status, from low to middle-income class. 12 villages of Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh, India were included. The aim was to see the impact of age and gender on various clinical forms of LF and in estimating its economic and social implications.
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