Researchers at Makerere University have released new research findings on Nodding disease, revealing that the epidemic has left more than 10% of sufferers severely disabled.
Releasing the findings on Tuesday, Richard Idro, a Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health, informed journalists that they have discovered the commonly available antibiotic Doxycycline to be highly effective in preventing infection-induced severe seizures responsible for nodding syndrome deaths.
The study began in 2012, and monitoring of cases has continued to date. Findings show no new cases of the syndrome caused by the filarial worm, technically referred to as Onchocerca volvulus, have been identified.
While nodding syndrome primarily affected northern Uganda, some cases were found in the Kasese and Kabarole districts due to the high prevalence of the worm in those areas. Idro noted that children infected by the fly early in life are at risk of suffering from Nodding disease, while those infected later are more likely to develop other forms of epilepsy.
Currently, the average prevalence of epilepsy in Uganda is estimated at 1% of the population. However, in Northern Uganda, where nodding disease is prevalent, the rate is more than double, estimated at 2.7%. Of the survivors, 40% live with mild disability, 50% with a moderately severe disability, and 10% are severely disabled and entirely dependent on caregivers for support.
Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng stated that they plan to open rehabilitation centers for those affected so their caregivers can go out and work. The responsibility for developing this infrastructure has been handed to the Ministry of Gender, Labor, and Social Development.
These findings come at a time when several members of parliament have complained that people in their constituencies are still getting newly infected with nodding disease, while the government fails to provide necessary interventions.
Aceng countered these claims, saying, “Politicians need to accept that there are no new cases of the disease and that samples were investigated.” She emphasized that they plan to hold a meeting with the Acholi and Lango parliamentary groups to share the findings.
One effective intervention, according to Aceng, is the bi-annual mass drug administration with ivermectin tablets and providing larvicides to eliminate the disease-causing black fly. “Politicians need to understand that no intervention can end disease transmission immediately; it’s rather a process,” she explained.