Dr. Fatorma Bolay
Dr. Fatorma Bolay, the director of the Division of Public Health Research at the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) has passed away. He was the director of the former Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research (LIBR) and DOLF-Project collaborator since 2011. Dr. Bolay navigated the LIBR through difficult times in Liberia and was a […]
Onchocerciasis elimination in Côte d’Ivoire
The DOLF Project has just published an article on the spatial distribution of onchocerciasis (Oncho) in Côte d’Ivoire before and after the introduction of mass distribution of ivermectin. This work was based on extensive Ministry of Health mapping and surveillance data collected between 1975 and 2016. Data included village geolocations, village-level prevalence and intensity estimates […]
Publication on IDA in India
The DOLF Project (dolfproject.wustl.edu) is proud to announce publication of an important paper on the safety and efficacy of a triple drug combination treatment (IDA) for lymphatic filariasis (LF) in India. With almost 9,000 participants, this was the largest of five IDA safety and efficacy studies that DOLF coordinated with financial support from the Bill […]
The DOLF Program welcomes Nicole Fetcho as the new Program Manager
Previously Nicole was DOLF’s Data Manager for 15 months before stepping into the role as Program Manager. Nicole served for one year in AmeriCorps conducting HIV prevention with high-risk populations in Cleveland, Ohio. After AmeriCorps, Nicole received her Master’s in Public Health from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis with a specialization […]
New clinical trial for treatment of LF in Cote d’Ivoire
DOLF project studies have demonstrated the safety and superior efficacy of IDA (a triple drug regimen of ivermectin, DEC, and albendazole) for treatment of lymphatic filariasis (LF). Moxidectin is a new drug that was recently approved for treatment of onchocerciasis. It is more effective than ivermectin for long-term clearance of O. volvulus parasites from the […]
DOLF Project Ophthalmologists Publish Short Case Report
DOLF project ophthalmologists Michael Gyasi and Augustine Hong have published a short case report of a patient with ocular onchocerciasis. This includes a photo and a very interesting video with motile microfilariae in the anterior chamber of the eye (open access, see “supplements”) that people may want to use for teaching or social mobilization. Microfilarial […]
Update on IDA treatment published
DOLF researchers provide update on long term effect of IDA triple drug treatment for lymphatic filariasis. N Engl J Med. 2018;382(20):1956-1957
DOLF Team Collaborates for Upcoming IDA Rollout in Indonesia
The DOLF team recently collaborated with the Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta and the Indonesian Ministry of Health to host a 1.5-day meeting in early February in Jakarta to discuss strategic planning for the upcoming rollout of IDA mass drug administration (MDA) in the country. The attendee list also included a representative of the Bill and Melinda […]
DOLF Laboratory Core Improves Microscopy Technology
The lab in St. Louis received an Olympus VS120-S6 microscope and slide scanner. Microscopy is essential to study the effect of drugs on adult Onchocerca volvulus worms. However, drug-related morphological changes are sometimes difficult to differentiate from age-related changes of the worms. Unfortunately, is the technical expertise to judge worms in histological nodule sections vanishing […]
DOLF Research-Roll-Out of IDA for LF Elimination in PNG (ENB)
Dr. Christopher King and his team from Case Western Reserve University and Dr. Alison Krentel from the Bruyere Research Institute in Ottawa have returned to East New Britain to continue their research. Dr. Krentel will train local staff on procedures for assessing the acceptability of the triple drug mass drug administration that was provided province-wide […]
DOLF initiates a trial of IDA triple drug treatment for Oncho
DOLF researchers and staff traveled to Hohoe, Ghana in December 2019 to work with Nick Opoku’s team at the University of Health and Allied Sciences to initiate a trial of the triple drug treatment IDA in persons with onchocerciasis. This study is testing the same IDA combination (ivermectin plus DEC and albendazole) that is so […]
Two New Members Join the DOLF Team
Nicole Fetcho joined the DOLF Project in October 2019 as a Statistical Data Analyst and Data Manager. Nicole is well prepared for this work with a Master of Public Health degree (with a focus on Biostatistics and Epidemiology) from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Her MPH practicum work […]