More progress in eliminating transmission of onchocerca volvulus and wuchereria bancrofti in the Americas: A portent of global eradication.

Can the same successes in eliminating transmission of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis be realized in other endemic areas of the world? This will be difficult, especially in Africa, where the prevalence of lymphatic filariasis is higher, human population size greater, and vector abundance and transmission efficiency greater than that in the Americas.

On the other hand, coendemicity of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, similarities in drugs and MDA schedule, and integration of control programs for these two filarial diseases in Africa suggest that elimination can be achieved.9,10 Lessons learned from eliminating transmission in the Americas include the importance of public–private partnerships, ownership of programs at the country and regional level, diligence to high MDA population coverage, and using scientifically rational criteria for stopping MDA and certifying transmission elimination.