3 research outputs found
Feasibility of onchocerciasis elimination using a “test and not treat” strategy in Loa loa co endemic areas
Background
Mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin is the main strategy for onchocerciasis elim
A Test-and-Not-Treat Strategy for Onchocerciasis Elimination in Loa loa-coendemic Areas: Cost Analysis of a Pilot in the Soa Health District, Cameroon
Background. Severe adverse events after treatment with ivermectin in individuals with high levels of Loa loa microfilariae in the
blood preclude onchocerciasis elimination through community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) in Central Africa. We
measured the cost of a community-based pilot using a test-and-not-treat (TaNT) strategy in the Soa health district in Cameroon.
Methods. Based on actual expenditures, we empirically estimated the economic cost of the Soa TaNT campaign, including financial costs and opportunity costs that will likely be borne by control programs and stakeholders in the future. In addition to the
empirical analyses, we estimated base-case, less intensive, and more intensive resource use scenarios to explore how costs might
differ if TaNT were implemented programmatically.
Results. The total costs of US4.0, US9.5, respectively. In programmatic implementation, these costs (base-case estimates with less and more intens