Background. Though onchocerciasis control and elimination through community directed treatment with ivermectin were conducted for the last fifteen years, prevalence of onchocerciasis and factors associated with it in the study area are yet not known. The aim of the current study is to assess prevalence of onchocerciasis and associated factors among adults aged greater than or equal to fifteen years in Semen Bench district, Bench Maji zone, southwest Ethiopia: community based cross-sectional study 2018. Methods. Community based cross-sectional study was conducted on 553 study participants selected by multistage sampling in April 2018. Data were collected using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were entered using EpiData version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics were done to summarize dependent and independent variables. Bivariate logistic regression was done to select candidate variables. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of onchocerciasis infection. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% CI were calculated to assess association and statistical significance, respectively. Confidence interval was used to declare statistical significance. Result. The overall prevalence of onchocerciasis infection in the study area was 6.32%. Age category of 35-44 years (AOR: 13.48, 95%CI: 3.51, 51.76), age of 45 years and above (AOR: 9.41, 95% CI: 2.26, 39.06), male sex (AOR 4.568, 95% C.I: 1.622, 12.861), not being compliant with ivermectin treatment (AOR: 3.804, 95%CI: 1.524, 9.49), and residing at less than 2Km from the river (AOR: 9.15, 95%CI: 3.9, 21.49) were significantly associated with onchocerciasis infection. Conclusion and Recommendation. After more than a decade of treatment with ivermectin, onchocerciasis in the study area is still hypoendemic. Zonal health department and other stakeholders should evaluate therapeutic coverage and community directed treatment with ivermectin in the study area. Zonal health department with other stokeholds should give community based information education communication, giving due attention to older ages, male residents, and those living near the rivers. Further community based study should also be done to identify factors hindering the community compliance with the treatment.

Background. Community-directed treatment with ivermectin twice a year is a major action to control onchocerciasis in endemic countries. Even though the community-directed treatment with ivermectin was proven effective in treating the disease, the level of compliance to the treatment and its contributing factors was not well addressed in our study area. Therefore, the current study was aimed at determining the magnitude of compliance with the five-year (2013-2017 years) biannual ivermectin treatment and its associated factors among adults living in the Bench Maji Zone, Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study was done on 572 randomly selected people aged greater than or equal to 15 years. Data were collected by a face-to-face interview. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize descriptive data. Binary logistic regression was done to assess statistical associations. Adjusted odds ratio and its 95% CI were, respectively, used to measure the strength of statistical association and its significance. Result. Five hundred fifty-three (553) people had participated in the study making the response rate 96.7%. The overall magnitude of compliance to the five-year biannual ivermectin treatment was 361 (65.3%). The results of the multivariable logistic regression showed that age, positive attitude towards community drug distributers’ performance, positive attitude towards height measurement for the treatment dose determination, and involvement in community-directed treatment with ivermectin were independently associated with compliance to ivermectin treatment at P value < 0.05. Conclusions. Even though the Ethiopian government has set a goal to eliminate onchocerciasis through community-directed treatment with the ivermectin, which is proven effective in treating the disease, the magnitude of compliance with the treatment among adults aged ≥15 years in the Semen Bench District is still unacceptably low. The Bench Maji Zonal Health Department and other stakeholders working on onchocerciasis prevention, control, and elimination should give due emphasis to behavioral change communication through community-based education and other social media to promote community’s awareness on community-directed treatment with ivermectin giving due focus to adults aged 45 years and above.