Publications by authors named "Kennedy Kambale Kasonia"
Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae in the anterior chambers of the eye and ocular adverse events after a single dose of 8 mg moxidectin or 150 µg/kg ivermectin: results of a randomized double-blind Phase 3 trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana and Liberia.
Parasit Vectors
March 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the safety and effectiveness of moxidectin versus ivermectin in treating Onchocerca volvulus infections, particularly focusing on microfilariae levels and ocular adverse reactions in patients with high microfilarial counts.
- Data were collected from 1,463 participants, and results showed that both treatments had similar impacts on ocular microfilariae levels (mfAC) and resulted in Mazzotti reactions in about 10-12% of participants, with factors like gender and pre-treatment mfAC influencing the severity of reactions.
- The findings suggest that while both treatments are effective, women and those with higher mfAC levels may be at increased risk for more severe ocular reactions post
This article examines the experience of healthcare professionals working in primary healthcare provision during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in Kambia District, Sierra Leone. Drawing on ethnographic observation, interviews and focus groups, we explore everyday narratives of 'crisis' in these two regions which had recently seen Ebola epidemics. In describing the impact of COVID-19 on their life, work, and relationships with patients, healthcare workers made sense of the pandemic in relation to broader experiences of structural economic and political crisis, as well as differing experiences of recent Ebola epidemics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCan mass drug administration of moxidectin accelerate onchocerciasis elimination in Africa?
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci
October 2023
Epidemiological and modelling studies suggest that elimination of transmission (EoT) throughout Africa may not be achievable with annual mass drug administration (MDA) of ivermectin alone, particularly in areas of high endemicity and vector density. Single-dose Phase II and III clinical trials demonstrated moxidectin's superiority over ivermectin for prolonged clearance of microfilariae. We used the stochastic, individual-based EPIONCHO-IBM model to compare the probabilities of reaching EoT between ivermectin and moxidectin MDA for a range of endemicity levels (30 to 70% baseline microfilarial prevalence), treatment frequencies (annual and biannual) and therapeutic coverage/adherence values (65 and 80% of total population, with, respectively, 5 and 1% of systematic non-adherence).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffect of a single dose of 8 mg moxidectin or 150 μg/kg ivermectin on O. volvulus skin microfilariae in a randomized trial: Differences between areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Ghana and impact of intensity of infection.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
April 2022
Background: Our study in CDTI-naïve areas in Nord Kivu and Ituri (Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC), Lofa County (Liberia) and Nkwanta district (Ghana) showed that a single 8 mg moxidectin dose reduced skin microfilariae density (microfilariae/mg skin, SmfD) better and for longer than a single 150μg/kg ivermectin dose. We now analysed efficacy by study area and pre-treatment SmfD (intensity of infection, IoI).
Methodology/principal Findings: Four and three IoI categories were defined for across-study and by-study area analyses, respectively.