Prevalence of Wuchereria bancrofti Infections in Tokha-Chandeshwori Village Development Committee, Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract

Bancroftian filariasis is endemic in many areas of Nepal. This study describes the infection and intensity of Wuchereria bancrofti in the Kathmandu valley. The real burden of Wuchereria bancrofti in most endemic areas remains unknown even through it is a major public health problem in many communities, particularly semi-urban areas of Nepal. This study describes the infection and intensity of Wuchereria bancrofti in Tokha-Chandeshwori VDC, the Kathmandu valley. The nocturnal periodicity of the parasite requires parasitological examinations to be done at night. The aim of this study was to develop and validate rapid epidemiological assessment tools for the community diagnosis of Wuchereria bancrofti that maybe used in the future to determine the distribution of the disease and identify high-risk communities in Nepal. A survey of 978 nocturnal blood film in this VDC indicated an overall prevalence of 5.8% for microfilaraemia. And crude disease rate of Wuchereria bancrofti was recorded to be 13.0% in the study area. The highest microfilaraemia infection rate was recorded as 11.8% among age group of 40-49. And the highest crude disease rate was recorded 36.4% in the age group of 70 and above.