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Community Attitudes Toward Mass Drug Administration for Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases After the 2014 Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Lofa County, Liberia.
- Source :
-
The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene [Am J Trop Med Hyg] 2016 Mar; Vol. 94 (3), pp. 497-503. Date of Electronic Publication: 2015 Dec 14. - Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- The recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) interrupted mass drug administration (MDA) programs to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases in Liberia. MDA programs treat entire communities with medication regardless of infection status to interrupt transmission and eliminate lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. Following reports of hostilities toward health workers and fear that they might be spreading EVD, it was important to determine whether attitudes toward MDA might have changed after the outbreak. We surveyed 140 community leaders from 32 villages in Lofa County, Liberia, that had previously participated in MDA and are located in an area that was an early epicenter of the EVD outbreak. Survey respondents reported a high degree of community trust in the MDA program, and 97% thought their communities were ready to resume MDA. However, respondents predicted that fewer people would comply with MDA after the EVD epidemic than before. The survey also uncovered fears in the community that EVD and MDA might be linked. Respondents suggested that MDA programs emphasize to people that the medications are identical to those previously distributed and that MDA programs have nothing to do with EVD.<br /> (© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.)
- Subjects :
- Adult
Albendazole therapeutic use
Animals
Antiparasitic Agents administration & dosage
Data Collection
Disease Eradication methods
Disease Outbreaks history
Female
History, 21st Century
Humans
Ivermectin therapeutic use
Liberia epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Parasitic Diseases epidemiology
Praziquantel therapeutic use
Surveys and Questionnaires
Antiparasitic Agents therapeutic use
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola epidemiology
Neglected Diseases prevention & control
Parasitic Diseases prevention & control
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1476-1645
- Volume :
- 94
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 26666700
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.15-0591