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G Taleo

Publications and source records attributed to G Taleo.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Progress towards, and challenges for, the elimination of filariasis from Pacific-island communities.

The Pacific Programme for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (PacELF) - the first regional campaign to attempt to eliminate filariasis as a public-health problem - is using five, annual, mass drug administrations (MDA) of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) plus albendazole to stop transmission. In 2001, nine countries and territories covered by the programme had begun annual MDA campaigns, with population treatment coverages ranging from 52% to 95%. By the end of 2002, it is anticipated that 11 countries/territories will have begun such MDA campaigns. Even with high MDA coverage, the efficiency of Aedes polynesiensis as a vector of Wuchereria bancrofti may limit the effectiveness of the elimination campaigns in some countries. In areas of limited MDA coverage, additional strategies, such as vector control (as a adjunct to the MDA), or alternative approaches, such as the use of DEC-fortified salt, may be necessary to stop transmission.

Albendazole↗
PubMed2000

Malaria eradication on islands.

BACKGROUND: To be successful, a malaria control programme needs to be tailored to the local epidemiological characteristics. Vanuatu consists of 80 inhabited islands in the Southwest Pacific, with hypoendemic and mesoendemic malaria and suitable conditions for sustained parasite elimination. We aimed to assess whether malaria can be eliminated on isolated islands. METHODS: Weekly mass drug administration of chloroquine, pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine (Fansidar), and primaquine was carried out on the entire population of 718 inhabitants of Aneityum island for 9 weeks in 1991 before the onset of the rainy season. Simultaneously with the administration of drugs, permethrin-impregnated bednets were distributed to the entire population. Larvivorous fish were also introduced into several identified breeding sites of Anopheles farauti. Periodic malariometric monitoring has continued for the past 9 years. Two additional islands of Vanuatu, one with and one without malaria transmission, have been monitored for comparison. FINDINGS: High community involvement as measured by drug compliance (88.3%) and bednet provision (0.94 nets per villager) has resulted in sustained interruption of malaria transmission in Aneityum. The surveys showed complete absence of Plasmodium falciparum after mass drug administration, and P. vivax disappeared from 1996 onwards, with the exception of two instances of imported infections (one mixed infection in 1993 and one P. vivax infection in 1999). INTERPRETATION: Malaria can be eliminated on isolated islands with well-adapted short-term mass drug administration and sustained vector control if there is a high degree of community participation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Dengue surveillance in the Pacific Islands.

Adequate monitoring of dengue activity can be achieved using a combination of mosquito vector surveillance, fever surveillance, sentinel clinicians and laboratory screening. An apparent increase in fever cases or clinically suspected DF should prompt a careful clinical and laboratory investigation. If an outbreak of dengue is confirmed, health authorities will need to implement emergency community-wide control strategies. Laboratories will quickly feel the burden of clinical monitoring of cases admitted with DHF/DSS. Surveillance can change to clinical case definitions as health workers become familiar with the presenting features of DF and DHF/DSS. Criteria for hospital referral and admission must be well understood. Routine laboratory and sentinel surveillance may resume as the epidemic wanes, and should then continue indefinitely to monitor any resurgence of dengue activity.

Dengue↗
PubMed1999

Proguanil disposition and toxicity in malaria patients from Vanuatu with high frequencies of CYP2C19 mutations.

The increasing resistance of falciparum malaria to common antimalarial drugs has renewed interest in the compound proguanil normally metabolized to cycloguanil, a strong dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor, via the cytochrome P450 isozyme CYP2C19. The relationship between CYP2C19 genotypes and proguanil metabolism was therefore studied in 100 uncomplicated malaria patients on Malakula island in Vanuatu, where a CYP2C19-related poor metabolizer genotype status was known to be frequent. The patients (median age, 7 years) with Plasmodium falciparum or P. vivax infections, received proguanil treatment for 3 days in daily doses corresponding to adult doses of 300-500 mg. Capillary blood samples were collected on filter paper for determining both human CYP2C19 mutations by polymerase chain reaction and mutation-specific restriction enzyme digestion and blood concentrations of proguanil and its metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography. The frequencies of the defective alleles, CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3, were 0.57 and 0.25, respectively. The patients were genotyped as 68 CYP2C19-related poor metabolizers and 32 extensive metabolizers. Proguanil concentrations were higher and cycloguanil and 4-chlorophenylbiguanide concentrations were lower in poor compared to extensive metabolizers. Among the extensive metabolizers, 27 were heterozygous and five were homozygous for unmutated alleles. The tendency of an intermediate degree of proguanil metabolism in heterozygous extensive metabolizers as compared to homozygous extensive metabolizers and poor metabolizers suggests the trend towards the existence of a gene dose effect. Mild adverse events (mainly gastro-intestinal symptoms) were often reported and positively correlated with proguanil concentrations. The incidence was, however, similar in poor and extensive metabolizers. In conclusion, our data demonstrate an association between CYP2C19 mutations and poor metabolism of proguanil.

Antimalarials↗
PubMed1998

Malaria epidemiology, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and human settlement in the Vanuatu Archipelago.

Vanuatu is located at the southeast margin of the malarious band extending from southeast Asia to eastern Melanesia. We analysed the malaria situation on different islands of Vanuatu, using passive case detection and malariometric survey data from 1985 to 1992, i.e. after the DDT residual programme ceased and before the impregnated bed-nets programme started on a larger scale. Malaria was mainly hypo-mesoendemic but with hyperendemic spots in certain years and on some islands. The transmission was generally more intense in the northern islands than in the south. In the late 1980s, annual parasite incidence per one thousand population (API) was around 180. The overall parasite rate was 11.9% with Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax and P. malariae rate of 5.2, 6.7, and 0.1%, respectively. There was a seasonal fluctuation of P. falciparum incidence, whereas the P. vivax incidence was rather stable. Vivax malaria was confined to children less than 10 years old, while the intense in the northern islands than in the south. In the late 1980s, annual parasite incidence per one thousand population (API) was around 180. The overall parasite rate was 11.9% with Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax and P. malariae rate of 5.2, 6.7, and 0.1%, respectively. There was a seasonal fluctuation of P. falciparum incidence, whereas the P. vivax incidence prevalence of P. falciparum only changed moderately with age. The mean rate of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency among male subjects was in 7.4% but with a wide variation of 0-14.3% on different islands. A positive rank-order correlation was found between malaria incidence and G6PD deficiency rate on the different islands. A reasonable hypothesis is that malaria was introduced to the islands with the first human settlement 4000 years ago, with a geographical malaria distribution similar to the present situation. Different malaria endemicities possibly then selected different prevalences of G6PD deficiency over many generations.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Microfilarial periodicity of Wuchereria bancrofti in Vanuatu.

A study on the relationship between the microfilarial periodicity of Wuchereria bancrofti and vector biting activity was carried out in Penama province, Vanuatu from February to April 1999, to enable the design of a more efficient strategy to control filariasis transmission. The microfilarial periodicities of 22 W. bancrofti antigen-positive volunteers were studied. Microfilariae (mf) were counted every hour for 24 h for 6 volunteers and every hour for 12 h (from 18:00 to 06:00) for 16 volunteers. At the same time as the preparation of mf test slides, indoor human landing catches of the vector mosquito, Anopheles farauti, were conducted to assess the vector biting activity. The time of peak microfilaraemia was 01:32 and the microfilarial periodicity index was 112.3, confirming the nocturnal periodicity of Wuchereria bancrofti in Vanuatu. Nearly all (98.5%) of the mf appeared during the time periods when A. farauti were collected. The timing of vector biting activity corresponded to the time of mf circulation.

Adolescent↗