Assessment of community knowledge and participation in onchocerciasis programme, challenges in ivermectin drug delivery, distribution and non-compliance in Ogun State, southwest Nigeria

Background: This study reports knowledge of onchocerciasis and surrounding factors from the perspective of community members, Community drug distributors and health workers in eight endemic LGAs of Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods: Using structured questionnaires and Focus Group Discussion, a total of 417 community members, 37 health workers and 42 CDDs across 16 communities participated in the study. Results: Majority (70.7%) of participants knew the disease by its local name, "Inarun". Community members (62%) identified severe itching as a symptom of the disease while (35.9%) (17.6%) and (9.8%) of participants associated bites of black-flies, physical-exertion on farm and allergies to peanuts as the cause of the disease. Majority (62.2%) of health workers reported the insufficiency of drug-storage facilities at community-health centres. Drug distributors also decried the paucity of funds to facilitate wide therapeutic-coverage. Compliance with drug use was affected by adverse reaction by (4%) Community members, pregnancy (9%) and inability to swallow pills (11.6%). Conclusion: To improve onchocerciasis control in Ogun State, public-health-education regarding the disease aetiology needs to be improved. Also, treatment rounds need to be increased to accommodate members who unwillingly missed treatment. Finally, government provision of transport logistics to CDDs for ease of logistics is very important. (C) 2018 Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.