A Cohort Study of Lymphatic Filariasis on Socio Economic Conditions in Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

BackgroundTo assess the impact of socioeconomic variables on lymphatic filariasis in endemic villages of Karimnagar district, Andhra Pradesh, India.MethodsA pilot scale study was conducted in 30 villages of Karimnagar district from 2004 to 2007. These villages were selected based on previous reports from department of health, Government of Andhra Pradesh, epidemiology, entomology and socioeconomic survey was conducted as per protocol. Collected data were analysed statistically by Chi square test, Principal Component Analysis, Odds ratio, Bivariate, multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsTotal of 5,394 blood samples collected and screened for microfilaria, out of which 199 were found to be positive (3.7%). The socioeconomic data of these respondents/participants were correlated with MF prevalence. The socioeconomic variables like educational status (Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.6, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.1–6.5), house structure (hut OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.2–3.1; tiled OR = 1.3, 95% CI = 0.8–2) and participation in mass drug administration program (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.3–2.6) were found to be highly associated with the occurrence of filarial disease. The socioeconomic index was categorized into low (3.6%; OR-1.1, 95% CI: 0.7–1.5) medium (4.9%; OR-1.5, 95% CI = 1–2.1) and high (3.3%) in relation to percentage of filarial parasite prevalence. A significant difference was observed among these three groups while comparing the number of cases of filaria with the type of socioeconomic conditions of the respondents (P = 0.067).ConclusionsFrom this study it is inferred that age, education of family, type of house structure and awareness about the filarial disease directly influenced the disease prevalence. Beside annual mass drug administration program, such type of analysis should be undertaken by health officials to target a few socioeconomic factors to reduce the disease burden. Health education campaigns in the endemic villages and imparting of protection measures against mosquitoes using insecticide treated bed nets would substantially reduce the disease in these villages.

Review of Environmental Aspects and Community Behavior in the Determination of Filariasis Risk Vulnerability Zone

“…The results are in accordance with the study of Upadhyayula et al (2012) which suggested that areas with high risk due to open drainage and more water puddle have a greater number of filariasis positive cases compared to areas with closed drainage conditions.…”

Baseline drivers of lymphatic filariasis in Burkina Faso

“…In addition to these environmental risk factors, wealth measures, and proxies thereof, are thought to be related to LF prevalence (Gyapong et al, 1996;Molyneux, 2008). For example, housing conditions, access to clean water and sanitation facilities may provide conditions that are conducive to the survival of the LF vector (Erlanger et al, 2005;Gazzinelli et al, 2012;Upadhyayula et al, 2012). Further, education status has been shown to be related to LF prevalence in India (Upadhyayula et al, 2012), and personal protection measures (use of bed nets, mosquito repellents and insecticides) have been related to LF in Kenya (Mwobobia and Mitsui, 1999).…”

Applications of machine learning techniques to predict filariasis using socio-economic factors

“…The Government of India has launched the MDA programme since 2004 in endemic districts but, still, some sporadic cases are reported in the country. This may be due to many intrinsic factors such as lack of disease awareness, low socio-economic status, vector breeding habitats in and around the house and non-participation in mass drug programme [9]. Hence, the present study is focused on predicting the occurrence of filariasis using various ML algorithms.…”

“…Studies indicate that 94% of the countries with the lowest Human Development Index (HDI) are endemic for LF [8]. Important risk factors for vector-borne diseases are ethnicity, occupation, education, awareness, living standards and the socio-economic status of a family [9, 10]. Based on the studies carried out in Philippines and Guyana, it has been observed that there is a strong association between endemicity of LF and socio-economic status [11].…”