NCT05749653

Brief Summary

Onchocerciasis is a neglected tropical disease associated with epilepsy, particularly in areas of high Onchocerciasis volvulus transmission. Onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy is characterised by seizures that start between the ages of five to 18 years. The tropical disease can be controlled through community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTi). Mahenge, in Tanzania, had a high prevalence of onchocerciasis and epilepsy despite more than 20 years of annual CDTi. Hence, the Tanzanian Neglected Tropical Diseases Control Programme has switched from annual to bi-annually CDTi since 2019. After this switch, the CDTi coverage increased and was sustained in both ivermectin rounds in 2021, and the number of new epilepsy cases decreased. The latter were persons who did not take ivermectin the year they had the first seizures. Hence, all ivermectin-eligible children at risk of onchocerciasis should take ivermectin at least annually. Overall, increasing the frequency and coverage of the CDTi programme should be considered in onchocerciasis-endemic areas with a high prevalence of epilepsy.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
6,500

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2017

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 1, 2017

Completed
4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

March 1, 2021

Completed
11 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

February 1, 2022

Completed
1 year until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

February 17, 2023

Completed
12 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

March 1, 2023

Completed
Last Updated

November 28, 2023

Status Verified

November 1, 2023

Enrollment Period

4 years

First QC Date

February 17, 2023

Last Update Submit

November 27, 2023

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Epilepsy incidence

    Number of new epilepsy cases per month

    3 years

Study Arms (1)

bi-annual CDTI

OTHER

bi-annual CDTI with high coverage

Drug: Bi-annual CDTI

Interventions

Bi-annual CDTI

bi-annual CDTI

Eligibility Criteria

Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

National Institute of Medical Research

Tanga, Tanzania

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

OnchocerciasisEpilepsy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

FilariasisSpirurida InfectionsSecernentea InfectionsNematode InfectionsHelminthiasisParasitic DiseasesInfectionsSkin Diseases, ParasiticSkin Diseases, InfectiousSkin DiseasesSkin and Connective Tissue DiseasesBrain DiseasesCentral Nervous System DiseasesNervous System Diseases

Study Officials

  • Bruno Mmbando, PhD

    National Institute of Medical Research, Tanga

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Model Details: population based study
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Emeritus professor, head NSETHIO research group, Global Health institute

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

February 17, 2023

First Posted

March 1, 2023

Study Start

March 1, 2017

Primary Completion

March 1, 2021

Study Completion

February 1, 2022

Last Updated

November 28, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-11

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

After de-identification (text, tables, figures, and appendices), all individual participant data underlying the results reported in this article will be made available immediately and indefinitely via the Zenodo repository following publication for anyone who wishes to access the data for any purpose.

Locations