Bush Simon, Sodahlon Yao, Downs Philip, Mackenzie Charles D
Sights Savers, Accra, Ghana.
Mectizan Donation Programme, 325 Swanton Way, Decatur, GA 30030, USA.
Int Health. 2018 Mar 1;10(suppl_1):i54-i59. doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihx058.
Endemic areas that involve national or local borders present an important challenge to the success of elimination of onchocerciasis; such cross-border endemic foci require special attention to ensure that programme activities are unified. It is vital that national programmes and the committees responsible for the oversight of progress towards elimination are aware and address such issues in their current planning and programmatic activities. Although international borders that intersect endemic zones present the biggest challenge, intracountry borders (such as between administrative districts or loiasis endemic and non-loiasis areas) can also pose problems. The recent change in the onchocerciasis programme from disease control to transmission interruption, given the historical lack of treatment in hypo-endemic areas, may have increased the already relatively high number of cross-national scenarios in Africa. It is vital that all national programmes address the issue of any cross-border endemic areas as a matter of urgency and include this important issue in their elimination plans.
涉及国家或地方边界的流行地区对盘尾丝虫病消除工作的成功构成了重大挑战；此类跨境流行病灶需要特别关注，以确保项目活动的统一。至关重要的是，国家项目以及负责监督消除工作进展的委员会应意识到这些问题，并在其当前规划和项目活动中加以解决。尽管与流行区相交的国际边界带来了最大挑战，但国内边界（如行政区之间或罗阿丝虫病流行区与非流行区之间）也可能引发问题。鉴于历史上低流行地区缺乏治疗，盘尾丝虫病项目近期从疾病控制转向传播阻断，这可能增加了非洲本就相对较多的跨国情况。所有国家项目必须紧急处理任何跨境流行地区的问题，并将这一重要问题纳入其消除计划。
