Tropenmedizin und Chirurgie

Abstrakt

Comparative Epidemiological Studies on Lymphatic Filariasis among the Population of a Rural and an Urban Area of West Bengal, India

Goutam Chandra, Samir Kumar Monda, Manas Paramanik and Niladri Sarkar

Background: Situation of lymphatic filariasis is worse in many third world developing countries like India. But information is scanty from many areas. Present study focused on a comparative filarial epidemiology in rural and urban areas of West Bengal, India.
Methods: Examination of 20 μL night blood samples by finger prick and clinical examination for filarial diseases of 3144 urban and 2690 rural people was done by random selection.
Results: In both the area Wuchereria bancrofti was identified as the causative parasite of filariasis. In the urban area, overall microfilaria rate, mean microfilarial density, disease rate and endemicity rate were assessed as 3.24%, 6.31, 5.47% and 8.72% respectively; whereas in the rural area, those were assessed as 1.23%, 4.61, 1.38% and 2.60% respectively. In both areas males were more affected than the females by the filarial problems.
Conclusion: The urban study area is more endemic for bancroftian filariasis than the rural one. Urban areas are already under the threat of the disease and it is spreading towards the rural areas.