Primary motives for demand of ivermectin drug in mass distribution programmes to control onchocerciasis.

Background: This report of a survey study presents findings from a sample of 594 persons out of a total of 35,763 treated individuals who voluntarily demanded Ivermectin treatment during a community-based Ivermectin distribution exercise. The distribution, which took place in 2008, was the seventh in the planned ten or more years of mass distribution of the microfilaricide to control onchocerciasis in endemic communities of Ezinihitte in the Imo River Basin of Nigeria.

Methods: The subjects were selected by quota sampling procedure on the basis of community and gender, and were asked to rank-order six plausible reasons for seeking treatment in terms of their order of importance in motivating them to demand Ivermectin.