Safety of and compliance with community-based ivermectin therapy.
In a study of the safety, acceptability, and efficacy of ivermectin for community-based mass treatment of onchocerciasis, the drug was issued twice, one year apart, to the population of a rubber plantation (14,000 people) in Liberia, where over 80% of the adults have Onchocerca volvulus infection. The plantation microfilarial load in a sample of adults was reduced by 86% 6 months after initial treatment and by 78% after 1 year. Compliance was 97% with each round of treatment. After the initial treatment of 7699 people, 101 (1.3%) had moderate adverse reactions. After re-treatment only 37 (0.5%) people had moderate adverse reactions. No ivermectin-related death or severe adverse reactions occurred. The data show that community-based treatment with ivermectin is well accepted and effective in reducing microfilarial loads. Ivermectin is likely to provide the first realistic means of chemotherapy-based control of onchocerciasis on a mass scale.
Pacqué
M
M
Dana Center for Preventive Ophthalmology, Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Muñoz
B
B
Greene
B M
BM
White
A T
AT
Dukuly
Z
Z
Taylor
H R
HR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007988:Liberia; D008297:Male; D008842:Microfilariae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012867:Skin / Q000469:parasitology
D007559:Ivermectin