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Revised Recommendations for the Treatment of Onchoerciasis with Mectizan
in Areas Co-Endemic for Onchocerciasis and Loiasis
In light of recent developments with regard to the community-level assessment
of the risk of Loa loa associated Serious Adverse Experiences (SAEs)
after treatment with Mectizan® for onchocerciasis, revised recommendations
for the use of Mectizan® in areas where the two diseases are co-endemic
have been issued by the Mectizan® Expert Committee in consultation
with the Technical Consultative Committee of the African Programme for
Onchocerciasis Control (APOC).
The revised recommendations take into account the endemicity of L. loa when assessing the risk of SAEs occurring after Mectizan® treatment for onchocerciasis. Included in the revised recommendations are annexes that provide guidance for the clinical management of cases of L. loa encephalopathy and a list of suggested medical supplies and equipment for the management of such cases.
The recommendations have been circulated via email and courier where
necessary and are available on our website at www.mectizan.org/mectccrecs.asp.
We hope that these revised recommendations will be useful to you. Should
you need further information or clarification of their content, or to
request hard copies via regular mail, please contact the Mectizan®
Donation Program using the contact information printed on the back of
this newsletter.