Re-assessing the global prevalence and distribution of lymphatic filariasis

Abstract

This paper estimates the global burden of lymphatic filariasis based on a review of the published literature on infection and disease surveys. A method for aggregating and projecting prevalence data from individual studies to national, regional and global levels, which also facilitates the estimation of gender and age-specific burdens, is presented. The method weights in favour of the larger, and hence presumbably more reliable, studies and relies on estimated empirical relationships between gender, age, infection and disease in order to correct studies with incomplete data. The results presented here suggest that although the overall prevalence of filariasis cases is 2.0% globally (approximately totalling 119 million cases), the disease continues to be of considerable local importance, particularly in India and Sub-Saharan Africa. Estimates by age and gender clearly show that, unlike other helminth infections, filariasis is mainly a disease of the adult and older age-classes and appears to be more prevalent in males. This work suggests that the derivation of more accurate estimates of the burden of filariasis will require a better understanding of both the epidemiology and the spatial aspects of infection and disease. It also suggests that filariasis is preventable based on a geographically targeted strategy for control.

EPIFIL: The development of an age-structured model for describing the transmission dynamics and control of lymphatic filariasis

“…It comes from combining the rate of uptake of infection by mosquitoes [eqn (6)] with the assumed negative binomial distribution [eqn (1)]. The model is run by assuming that the population parasite distribution is initially at equilibrium.…”

“…Lymphatic filariasis is a mosquito-borne parasitic infection that occurs in many parts of the developing world [1,2]. The symptoms and disability caused by this infection have a high social and economic impact on infected individuals [3,4].…”

Stochastic and spatial dynamics of nematode parasites in farmed ruminants

“…Parasitic nematode worms are a major cause of morbidity in human and animal populations (Anderson & May 1991;Grenfell & Dobson 1995;Michael et al 1996). Gastrointestinal nematode parasites of farmed ruminants are responsible for millions of dollars of lost revenue annually, and, with the emergence of high levels of anthelmintic drug resistance, it is clear that control strategies need to be optimized to deal with resistance.…”

Filariasis in an infant with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a rare enigma

“…Filariasis is considered endemic in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asia, Africa, Central and South America and Pacific Island nations, with more than 120 million people infected and one billion people at risk of infection (Michael and Bundy 1997;Michael et al 1996). Lymphatic filariasis is thought to have affected humans since approximately 4,000 years.…”