PMID- 21738809
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20111025
LR  - 20220409
IS  - 1935-2735 (Electronic)
IS  - 1935-2727 (Print)
IS  - 1935-2727 (Linking)
VI  - 5
IP  - 6
DP  - 2011 Jun
TI  - The geographic distribution of Loa loa in Africa: results of large-scale 
      implementation of the Rapid Assessment Procedure for Loiasis (RAPLOA).
PG  - e1210
LID - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001210 [doi]
LID - e1210
AB  - BACKGROUND: Loiasis is a major obstacle to ivermectin treatment for 
      onchocerciasis control and lymphatic filariasis elimination in central Africa. In 
      communities with a high level of loiasis endemicity, there is a significant risk 
      of severe adverse reactions to ivermectin treatment. Information on the 
      geographic distribution of loiasis in Africa is urgently needed but available 
      information is limited. The African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) 
      undertook large scale mapping of loiasis in 11 potentially endemic countries 
      using a rapid assessment procedure for loiasis (RAPLOA) that uses a simple 
      questionnaire on the history of eye worm. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: RAPLOA 
      surveys were done in a spatial sample of 4798 villages covering an area of 
      2500x3000 km centred on the heartland of loiasis in Africa. The surveys showed 
      high risk levels of loiasis in 10 countries where an estimated 14.4 million 
      people live in high risk areas. There was a strong spatial correlation among 
      RAPLOA data, and kriging was used to produce spatially smoothed contour maps of 
      the interpolated prevalence of eye worm and the predictive probability that the 
      prevalence exceeds 40%. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The contour map of eye worm 
      prevalence provides the first global map of loiasis based on actual survey data. 
      It shows a clear distribution with two zones of hyper endemicity, large areas 
      that are free of loiasis and several borderline or intermediate zones. The 
      surveys detected several previously unknown hyperendemic foci, clarified the 
      distribution of loiasis in the Central African Republic and large parts of the 
      Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo for which hardly any 
      information was available, and confirmed known loiasis foci. The new maps of the 
      prevalence of eye worm and the probability that the prevalence exceeds the risk 
      threshold of 40% provide critical information for ivermectin treatment programs 
      among millions of people in Africa.
FAU - Zoure, Honorat Gustave Marie
AU  - Zoure HG
AD  - African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control, World Health Organization, 
      Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. zoureh@oncho.afro.who.int
FAU - Wanji, Samuel
AU  - Wanji S
FAU - Noma, Mounkaila
AU  - Noma M
FAU - Amazigo, Uche Veronica
AU  - Amazigo UV
FAU - Diggle, Peter J
AU  - Diggle PJ
FAU - Tekle, Afework Hailemariam
AU  - Tekle AH
FAU - Remme, Jan H F
AU  - Remme JH
LA  - eng
GR  - G0902153/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20110628
PL  - United States
TA  - PLoS Negl Trop Dis
JT  - PLoS neglected tropical diseases
JID - 101291488
SB  - IM
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Adult
MH  - Africa/epidemiology
MH  - Aged
MH  - Aged, 80 and over
MH  - Animals
MH  - Cross-Sectional Studies
MH  - *Epidemiologic Methods
MH  - Eye Infections, Parasitic/*diagnosis/*epidemiology/parasitology
MH  - Female
MH  - Geography
MH  - Humans
MH  - Loiasis/*diagnosis/*epidemiology/parasitology
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Prevalence
MH  - *Surveys and Questionnaires
MH  - Young Adult
PMC - PMC3125145
COIS- The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
EDAT- 2011/07/09 06:00
MHDA- 2011/10/26 06:00
PMCR- 2011/06/28
CRDT- 2011/07/09 06:00
PHST- 2011/03/02 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2011/05/05 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2011/07/09 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2011/07/09 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2011/10/26 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2011/06/28 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - PNTD-D-11-00207 [pii]
AID - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001210 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2011 Jun;5(6):e1210. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001210. Epub 
      2011 Jun 28.