Authors discuss the first ever integrated mapping of the two diseases, concluding it is feasible and applicable in larger scales.
A new paper in Parasites & Vectors presents the methods and findings of the integrated mapping of lymphatic filariasis (LF) and podoconiosis in Ethiopia. This was the first integrated mapping of these two diseases anywhere in the world. Authors concluded that it proved feasible, and if planned well, can be quickly achieved at national scale.
1,315 communities were mapped over three months, with 129,959 individuals providing blood samples that were tested with ICT tests for circulating Wuchereria bancrofti antigen, the parasite that transmits LF. Epidemiological and geographical data were collected with smartphones using the LINKS system, a mobile app that allows data to be entered on mobile devices running Android and sent to a centralized server.
Authors founded that the integrated mapping approach clearly indicated how integrated mapping, international collaboration and mobile technology together enable large surveys for control and elimination of NTDs to be carried out.
Authors:
Heven Sime, Ethiopian Public Health Institute
Kebede Deribe, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Addis Ababa University
Ashenafi Assefa, Ethiopian Public Health Institute
Melanie Newport, Ethiopian Public Health Institute
Fikre Enquselassie, Addis Ababa University
Abeba Gebretsadik, Ethiopian Public Health Institute
Amha Kebede, Ethiopian Public Health Institute
Asrat Hailu, Addis Ababa University
Oumer Shafi, Federal Ministry of Health, Ethiopia
Abraham Aseffa, Armauer Hansen Research Institute
Richard Reithinger, RTI International
Simon Brooker, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Rachel Pullan, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Jorge Cano, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Kadu Meribo, Federal Ministry of Health, Ethiopia
Alex Pavluck, Task Force for Global Health
Moses Bockarie, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Maria Rebollo, Task Force for Global Health
Gail Davey, Brighton and Sussex Medical School
The full paper is available in our publications and on the Parasites & Vectors website.