Researchers at Makerere University have released new research findings on Nodding disease declaring that the epidemic left more than 10% of sufferers severely disabled. Releasing the findings on Tuesday, Richard Idro a Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health told journalists that they have also found that the commonly available antibiotic Doxycycline is highly effective in preventing infection-induced severe seizures which are responsible for nodding syndrome deaths. The study was embarked on in 2012 and monitoring of cases has continued to date.
Findings show no new case of the syndrome caused by the filarial worm technically referred to as onchocerca volvulus has been identified. While nodding syndrome affected northern Uganda more, some cases were found in areas of Kasese and Kabarole districts because of the high prevalence of the worm in those areas. Now, Idro says they are realizing that children who are infected by the fly early in life, are at risk of suffering from Nodding disease and those infected later in life, they are more likely to develop other forms of epilepsy.
Currently, the average prevalence of epilepsy in Uganda is estimated at 1 percent of the population and yet in Northern Uganda where nodding disease is heavily struck, prevalence is more than double estimated at 2.7%. Meanwhile, 40% of survivors live with mild disability, 50% with a moderately severe disability whereas 10% are severely disabled and they have to entirely depend on caregivers for all s.