One way to address this problem is through community involvement, which allows those affected by the disease to educate themselves and participate in treatment efforts. In the study area, onchocerciasis is endemic and is referred to as wara, which means ‘itching skin disease’. The problem with human landing collectors is that the people infected by this parasite are not always well educated about the disease, and many people are at risk for contracting the parasite. The Esperanza Window Trap, which is a simple and inexpensive tool, can be made by locals and is free of cost.
The KAP survey was conducted thirty-four months after the MDA program ended, and asked community residents what they thought of the program’s success and its impact on their lives. In addition, this survey re-examined their knowledge of the disease, its importance, and how serious they considered it to be. In general, respondents were not aware of onchocerciasis, but they knew it existed and had heard about it from a community member.
Despite being aware of onchocerciasis, most respondents were unaware of the disease, despite having a high level of knowledge about the disease. The majority of people surveyed did not know how to treat the parasite. A health district had been using community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) for 15 years. However, this treatment has only been effective for a small subset of people. There were also no community-based interventions, a lack of community health education, and inadequate supervision for CDTI. Consequently, communities often lack adequate training and supervision, resulting in poor results.
While there is a lack of awareness about onchocerciasis, community-based interventions can reduce the stigma and improve care. The study’s findings suggest that communities with low levels of information about the disease are less likely to be affected by it. In some cases, it may be difficult to get the information that the community needs, but the information provided by health care providers can be useful in educating people about the disease.
There were no significant differences in awareness and knowledge among the study subjects. There were fewer women than men and people with little education about onchocerciasis than in other countries. Most of the respondents did not know anything about the disease, and were unable to identify the source of the problem. But 89% of the participants were able to identify the disease, but did not know the cause.
While onchocerciasis is a common skin disease, there are also many ways to prevent it. A study conducted in four formerly hyperendemic communities in the United States found that most respondents had experienced the disease at some point in their lives. They were most likely to know that the MDA program ended in November 2014. They also believed that they were unaware that the program had ended, but they knew that it had. Moreover, they were more likely to want to receive the ivermectin worm-killing drugs in the future.
