Journal article
Individual Efficacy and Community Impact of Ivermectin, Diethylcarbamazine, and Albendazole Mass Drug Administration for Lymphatic Filariasis Control in Fiji: A Cluster Randomized Trial
M Hardy, J Samuela, M Kama, M Tuicakau, L Romani, MJ Whitfeld, CL King, GJ Weil, AC Grobler, LJ Robinson, JM Kaldor, AC Steer
Clinical Infectious Diseases | OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC | Published : 2021
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab202
Abstract
Background. Bancroftian filariasis remains endemic in Fiji despite >10 years of mass drug administration (MDA) using diethylcarbamazine and albendazole (DA). The addition of ivermectin to this combination (IDA) has improved efficacy of microfilarial clearance at 12 months in individually randomized trials in nocturnal transmission settings, but impact in a setting of diurnally subperiodic filarial transmission has not been evaluated. Methods. This cluster randomized study compared the individual efficacy and community impact of IDA vs DA as MDA for lymphatic filariasis in 35 villages on 2 islands of Fiji. Participants were tested at enrollment for circulating filarial antigen and, if positiv..
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Awarded by United States Agency for International Development
Funding Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Washington University (grant number OPPGH5342). The study was also supported in part by the Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases, which is funded at the Task Force for Global Health primarily by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, by the United Kingdom Department for International Development, and by the United States Agency for International Development through its Neglected Tropical Diseases Program. Albendazole (produced and donated by GlaxoSmithKline) and diethylcarbamazine (produced and donated by Eisai Co, Ltd) were obtained from Ministry of Health stocks in Fiji. Ivermectin was purchased at a reduced price from Merck Sharp Dohme (Australia) Pty Ltd.