{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T07:06:16Z","timestamp":1785481576327,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":7,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,13]],"date-time":"2023-07-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1689206400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"RLMF Consortium","award":["OPP1193778"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["OPP1193778"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Understanding when it is the appropriate time to stop administering the drugs in a chemotherapy-centered treatment program such as onchocerciasis remains a challenge due to cost, imperfect testing procedures, and a lack of long-term experience. Different approaches for assessing when a program can begin the extensive stop-treatment surveys have been recommended, and tested, with varying results. We describe here a practical approach that is based on information on both transmission as well as infection. This new protocol first defines operational transmission zones (OTZs) based on vector breeding sites followed by an epidemiological assessment of the resident populations adjacent to these breeding sites. Basing decisions to stop MDA treatment based on breeding site locations (i.e., transmission zones) rather than on political administrative units, is a practical, cost-effective approach. Importantly, this biology-based approach is more closely related to the actual state of onchocerciasis transmission.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0011348","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,13]],"date-time":"2023-07-13T17:21:05Z","timestamp":1689268865000},"page":"e0011348","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Enhancing onchocerciasis elimination program management: A biological approach to deciding when to begin Stop Mass Drug Administration activities"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Daniel","family":"Boakye","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4628-8188","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Charles","family":"Mackenzie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jamie","family":"Tallant","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anne","family":"Heggen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sashi","family":"Leff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lokemla","family":"Nadjilar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Moussa","family":"Sow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,13]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"pntd.0011348.ref001","first-page":"81","article-title":"Importance of ivermectin to human onchocerciasis: past, present, and the future","volume":"30","author":"EW Cupp","year":"2011","journal-title":"Res Rep Trop Med"},{"issue":"7","key":"pntd.0011348.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e497","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0000497","article-title":"Feasibility of onchocerciasis elimination with ivermectin treatment in endemic foci in Africa: first evidence from studies in Mali and Senegal","volume":"3","author":"L Diawara","year":"2009","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"pntd.0011348.ref003","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Report of the NGDO Coordination Group for onchocerciasis control including the support of the Group to APOC activities. 2010. https:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/bitstream\/handle\/10665\/276396\/JAF16.10-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y."},{"key":"pntd.0011348.ref004","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Guidelines for stopping mass drug administration and verifying elimination of human onchocerciasis: criteria and procedures. World Health Organization. 2016. https:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/handle\/10665\/204180."},{"key":"pntd.0011348.ref005","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Report of the 1st meeting of the WHO onchocerciasis technical advisory subgroup, Varemb\u00e9 Conference Centre, Geneva, Switzerland, 10\u201312 October 2017. World Health Organization. 2018. https:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/handle\/10665\/273705. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO."},{"key":"pntd.0011348.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"325","DOI":"10.1186\/1756-3305-7-325","article-title":"The geographic distribution of onchocerciasis in the 20 participating countries of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control: (1) Priority areas for ivermectin treatment","volume":"7","author":"M Noma","year":"2014","journal-title":"Parasit Vectors"},{"key":"pntd.0011348.ref007","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Report of the fourth Meeting of the WHO Onchocerciasis Technical Advisory Subgroup, Virtual meeting, 28\u201329 October 2020. p 40. https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240037977."}],"container-title":["PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.0011348","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,13]],"date-time":"2023-07-13T17:21:17Z","timestamp":1689268877000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.0011348"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Mar\u00eda-Gloria","family":"Bas\u00e1\u00f1ez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,13]]},"references-count":7,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,13]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.0011348","relation":{},"ISSN":["1935-2735"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1935-2735","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,13]]}}}