Lymphatic Filariasis At Gomoa Okyereko, An Irrigation Project Community In Southern Ghana: Infection, Clinical Disease And Vectors

SUMMARY A parasitological, clinical, periodicity and entomological study of lymphatic filariasis was earned out at Gomoa Okyereko, an irrigation project community in Southern Ghana to provide baseline information on the infection and its transmission in the community. Out of a total of 636 inhabitants, fifty percent of the residents were selected from the compiled demographic data using computer generated random numbers to constitute the study population. Quantitative examination of night blood sample (100/xl) between 21:00 and 01:00 hours from 296 (94.6%) selected persons using the counting chambers techniques (CCT) revealed high microfilarial prevalences and microfilarial geometric mean intensity (GMI) in the study group. Overall microfilarial prevalence of 26.4% was observed, and prevalence generally increased with age and was higher in females (27.6%) than in males (25%), though this was not statistically significant. Large variability was observed in individual mean intensities and an overall GMI among infected individuals was 819mf/ml of blood (1114.3mf/ml in males and 645.7mf/ml in females). There was however no statistical significance in GMI between these two sexes. Hydrocoele was the most common clinical manifestation of lymphatic filariasis and 9.3% of the males examination had hydrocoeles of grades 1-IV The prevalence of hydrocoele increased with age and the highest prevalence of 33.3 % was noted in 40-49 age group. Four female aged 13-55 had limb elephantiasis, two were grade I and the other two grade III.