Bancroftian filariasis among the Mbembe people of Cross River state, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Bancroftian filariasis is a major public health and socioeconomic problems in the humid tropical and subtropical regions of the world. A study was undertaken to investigate the status of the disease in some rural communities of Cross River State, Nigeria, with a view to enriching the epidemiological baseline data of the disease in Nigeria.

METHODS: A total of 897 Mbembe people living in six major villages of Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria were examined between December 2008 and June 2009 for lymphatic filariasis due to Wuchereria bancrofti.

RESULTS: Out of the 897 persons examined, 139 (15.5%) were positive for microfilariae in their blood smear. Infection varied significantly among villages (p <0.05) but was not sex-specific (p >0.05). The overall mean microfilarial density among the total population was 9.9 mf/50 microl. The occurrence of microfilaria in the peripheral blood of the infected persons was neither age nor sex specific (p >0.05). The most important clinical manifestations were hydrocele (9.7%) and lymphoedema (2.3%). Overall disease prevalence was (6.8%).

CONCLUSION: Government effort on the Community Directed Treatment with Ivermectin (CDTI) project should be complimented with albendazole distribution to the endemic communities. Environmental sanitation should also be intensified to eliminate the breeding sites of the mosquito vectors.