ArticleInfectious diseases of poverty2023
Prevalence of epilepsy in the onchocerciasis endemic middle belt of Ghana after 27 years of mass drug administration with ivermectin.
Article in Infectious diseases of poverty, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Review of the Association between Infections, Seizures, and Drugs.Central nervous system agents in medicinal chemistry · 2025Pooled it
- The prevalence and determinants of epilepsy in Ghana: A population-based study in two districts using a three-stage approach.Epilepsia · 2026Article
- High-resolution mapping of onchocerciasis risk in Ghana using spatial machine learning models.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Significant gap between Point participation and long‑term treatment adherence: An evaluation of ivermectin MDA in the Kwanware‑Ottou persistent onchocerciasis transmission focus, Wenchi, Ghana.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Usability, acceptability, and cost of the SD BIOLINE Ov16 rapid diagnostic test for onchocerciasis surveillance in endemic communities in the middle belt of Ghana.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Persistent transmission of onchocerciasis in Kwanware-Ottou focus in Wenchi health district, Ghana.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Modelling onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy and the impact of ivermectin treatment on its prevalence and incidence.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Non-adherence to ivermectin in onchocerciasis-endemic communities with persistent infection in the Bono Region of Ghana: a mixed-methods study.BMC infectious diseases · 2023Article
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17 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn onchocerciasis-endemic areas with high ongoing Onchocerca volvulus transmission, a high prevalence of epilepsy has been reported. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of epilepsy in the Bono Region of Ghana following 27 years of implementation of ivermectin mass drug administration (MDA).
methodsBetween October 2020 and August 2021, cross-sectional surveys were conducted in nine communities in the Tain District and Wenchi Municipality of the Bono Region of Ghana. In the first stage, a random door-to-door approach was used to screen the population for epilepsy using a pre-tested questionnaire. Persons suspected of having epilepsy were invited for a second-stage neurological examination for case verification. Community O. volvulus microfilarial infection status and Ov16 seropositivity were also determined. Ninety-five confidence intervals (95% CI) for prevalence values were calculated using the Wilson Score Interval.
resultsOf the 971 participants, 500 (51.5%) were females, and the median age (interquartile range) was 26 (15‒43) years. Fourteen participants (1.4%, 95% CI: 1.0‒2.0) were diagnosed as having epilepsy with generalized seizures being the most frequent seizure type (85.7%, 12/14). The overall microfilarial prevalence of O. volvulus was 10.3% (November 2020) and 9.9% (August 2021); the Ov16 seroprevalence was 22.2% (June 2021). Only 63.2% took ivermectin in the last round of MDA distribution in March 2021.
conclusionsThe 1.4% prevalence of epilepsy in the Bono region is similar to the median epilepsy prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the persistent microfilarial prevalence and low ivermectin study coverage call for the Ghana Onchocerciasis Elimination Programme to step up its efforts to ensure that the gains achieved are consolidated and improved to achieve the elimination of onchocerciasis by 2030.
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