image: This is a woman with podoconiosis washing her legs. view more
Credit: Kebede Deribe, 2017
Both the etiology and demographics of podoconiosis, a non-infectious disease which causes massive swelling of the legs, are poorly understood. To help contribute to the global atlas of podoconiosis knowledge, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have now described the distribution of podoconiosis in Cameroon.
Podoconiosis, a non-filarial form of elephantiasis which was identified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization in 2011, arises in barefoot subsistence farmers who are in frequent contact with red volcanic clay soil. Podoconiosis is one of several neglected diseases causing pain, disability and disfigurement that contribute to the world's poorest and most vulnerable communities remaining in a cycle of poverty and disease. The disease has been reported in more than 32 countries, with an estimated 4 million cases worldwide. However, Ethiopia is the only country where podoconiosis risk has been extensively mapped.
Specific control methods include the use of footwear, regular foot hygiene and floor coverings. For those with the diseases management of the lymphedema-related morbidity is recommended which includes foot hygiene, foot care, wound care, compression, exercises, elevation of the legs and treatment of acute infections.
In the new work, Kebebe Deribe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow of Brighton and Sussex Medical School, UK, and colleagues, sampled 76 villages from 40 health districts in Cameroon. In each village, all individuals age 15 and older were surveyed and screened for lymphedema--the swelling that is indicative of elephantiasis. In cases of lymphedema, other diagnoses, including the filarial forms of elephantiasis, were excluded using field tests.
Overall, 10,178 individuals from 4,603 households participated. 83 people with lymphedema were identified and 52 diagnosed with podoconiosis. The overall prevalence of podoconiosis was found to be 0.5%, and at least one case was found in every region, suggesting a low prevalence but nationwide distribution of the disease in Cameroon.
Dr. Deribe concludes: "We have clear prevention and control strategies, and can beat this disabling disease in one generation. We must do more to improve podoconiosis control in high-risk countries by increasing coverage with proven interventions, such as footwear and foot washing. The elimination of podoconiosis requires a combination of political will, policy formulation and operational and financial commitment by governments of endemic countries and donors."
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In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases: http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0006126
Citation: Deribe K, Beng AA, Cano J, Njouendo Fru-Cho J, Awah AR, et al. (2018) Mapping the geographical distribution of podoconiosis in Cameroon using parasitological, serological, clinical evidence to exclude other causes of lymphedema. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 12(1):e0006126. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006126
Funding: This study is financially supported by a Wellcome Trust [grant number 201900] Intermediate Fellowship in Public Health and Tropical Medicine for KD with additional support from the Wellcome Trust Brighton and Sussex Center for Global Health Research. SIH is funded by grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1106023, OPP1093011, OPP1132415, OPP1159934 and OPP1176062) and the Wellcome Trust (#209142) and the Fleming Fund. NG is funded by a McKenzie fellowship from the University of Melbourne. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared no competing interests exist.
Journal
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases