PubMed Health⌕ Search
Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 307448

Ocular onchocerciasis.

B Thylefors
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Well over 20 million people in the world are infected with Onchocerca volvulus and it is probable that 200 000-500 000 people are blind as a result of this infection, which is the most important cause of blindness in certain areas of Africa and Latin America.Treatment of the disease is difficult and often produces serious adverse reactions in the patient. Combined use of diethylcarbamazine citrate and suramin is still the most suitable form of treatment. Screening for the early detection of cases at high risk of ocular manifestations must be organized, and their treatment undertaken, if blindness is to be avoided.Prevention of ocular onchocerciasis is feasible, using vector control methods to reduce transmission, but the procedures are costly and may have to be maintained for many years.Research is needed to improve treatment and to find a chemoprophylactic agent or a preventive vaccine.

Explore related subjects

DiethylcarbamazineDrug Therapy, CombinationEye DiseasesHumansInsect ControlOnchocerciasisSuraminJournal Article

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

B Thylefors. 1978. Ocular onchocerciasis.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/307448/

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2006

School-based health education campaign--a potential tool for social mobilization to promote the use of DEC-fortified salt towards elimination of lymphatic filariasis.

Community compliance is crucial for the success of mass treatment using cooking salt fortified with diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF). We describe the role and effectiveness of school-based health education for social mobilization to promote the use of DEC salt, in an endemic district in India. Health education through classroom sessions was the main motivational strategy used. Community members were targeted to receive the message through children. The impact of this approach was assessed among students and community members using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and analysis of salt samples for DEC content from households. Significant improvement in awareness on LF among students and community respondents was observed. School health education (SHE) could promote the use of DEC salt by 19% points more in households with children in schools covered under health education campaign [campaign school (CS)] compared with others. Significantly higher proportion (72.7%) of samples from households with children in CS had detectable DEC, indicating the impact of the intervention on enhancing the use of DEC salt by the community. The results exemplify that SHE is a potential tool for improving and sustaining compliance, thus serving as part of a public health strategy to eliminate LF using DEC salt.

Diethylcarbamazine↗