Pregnant Women, a Potential Reservoir for Onchocerca volvulus? A Cross Sectional Study in Maridi County, South Sudan
Our study is the first to investigate the prevalence and level of O. volvulus infection among pregnant women in onchocerciasis-endemic areas in Africa. Our results showed a high infection rate of O. volvulus among pregnant women, which may pose a risk for adverse materno-foetal outcomes. Pregnant women in South Sudan are a reservoir for parasite transmission. A clinical trial evaluating the potential beneficial effect of treating O. volvulus infected pregnant women with IVM should be considered, as our preliminary results and the literature suggest that IVM intake might not affect the newborn.
Authors
- Raphael Awah Abong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7411-1550)
- Chiara Trevisan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4920-6750)
- Yak Yak Bol (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1117-8943)
- Amber Hadermann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1207-5811)
- Robert Colebunders (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1919-1340)
- Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3544-1239)
- Stephen Raimon Jada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9208-3955)
- Katja Polman
Institutions
- University of Buea (CM)
- University of Antwerp (BE)
- University of Juba (SS)
- Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde (BE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
- Published
- 2025-02-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s44197-025-00357-2
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.79
Funders
- Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek