{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,25]],"date-time":"2026-09-25T22:14:44Z","timestamp":1790374484269,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,14]],"date-time":"2021-05-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1620950400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100010663","name":"H2020 European Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["671055"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["671055"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100010663","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In June 2020, a door-to-door household survey was conducted in Mvolo County, an onchocerciasis-endemic area in South Sudan. A total of 2357 households containing 15,699 individuals agreed to participate in the study. Of these, 5046 (32.1%, 95% CI: 31.4\u201332.9%) had skin itching and 445 (2.8%, 95% CI: 2.6\u20133.1%) were blind. An epilepsy screening questionnaire identified 813 (5.1%) persons suspected of having epilepsy. Of them, 804 (98.9%) were seen by a medical doctor, and in 798 (98.1%) the diagnosis of epilepsy was confirmed. The overall epilepsy prevalence was 50.8\/1000 (95% CI: 47.6\u201354.4\/1000), while the prevalence of nodding syndrome was 22.4\/1000 (95% CI: 20.1\u201324.9\/1000). Younger age, being male, skin itching, blindness, and living in a neighbourhood or village close to the Naam River were risk factors for epilepsy. The annual incidence of epilepsy was 82.8\/100,000 (95% CI: 44.1\u2013141.6\/100,000). Among children 7\u20139 years old without epilepsy, 34% were Ov16 seropositive, suggesting high ongoing Onchocerca volvulus transmission, but only 41.9% of them took ivermectin during the last mass distribution. In conclusion, a high prevalence and incidence of epilepsy was observed in Mvolo, South Sudan. Strengthening of the onchocerciasis elimination programme is urgently needed in order to prevent epilepsy in this region.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens10050599","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,17]],"date-time":"2021-05-17T02:31:34Z","timestamp":1621218694000},"page":"599","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":29,"title":["High Prevalence of Epilepsy in an Onchocerciasis-Endemic Area in Mvolo County, South Sudan: A Door-To-Door Survey"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"given":"Stephen","family":"Raimon","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Amref Health Africa, Juba P.O. Box 410, South Sudan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alfred","family":"Dusabimana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Kinsbergen Centrum, Doornstraat 331, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gasim","family":"Abd-Elfarag","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Child Health Group, Department of Paediatrics and Department of Global Health Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1105 BP Amsterdam, The Netherlands"},{"name":"Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, 1105 BP Amsterdam, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Samuel","family":"Okaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Amref Health Africa, Juba P.O. 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