[Lymphatic Filariasis Transmission Assessment Survey in Burkina Faso in Connection with 4 Districts]. / Évaluation de la Transmission de la Filariose Lymphatique au Burkina Faso: À Propos de 4 Districts Sanitaires.

Objective: In this impact survey on the preventive chemotherapy against lymphatic filariasis, the national neglected tropical diseases programme team conducted a Transmission Assessment Survey in the health districts of Leo, Sapouy, Boromo and Dedougou. The purpose of this study was to assess lymphatic filariasis transmission in these four districts (included in two evaluation units (EU): Boucle du Mouhoun 3 and Centre-Ouest 2 after more than ten to thirteen years of mass drug treatment. Methodology: The study was a cross sectional survey which targeted the school aged children based on the cluster survey method conducted at community level. Results: Among the 1649 school aged children covered by the survey in the Centre Ouest EU, four were found positive at the Filariasis Test Strip (FTS), i.e. the proportion of children with circulating filarial antigens (i.e. with live adult stages of W. bancrofti ) was 0.24%. In the BMH3 EU, none of the 1716 children tested was FTS-positive. Conclusion: From the findings, we can infer that filariasis transmission has been interrupted in these districts and that mass treatment with albendazole and ivermectin can be stopped.

Evaluation of the effect of mass drug administration against lymphatic filariasis in three health districts and public health implications: study of 12 epidemiological surveillance sites in Burkina Faso.

The implementation of mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns of albendazole (400 mg) and ivermectin (150-200 µm/kg) since 2001 has helped to change the epidemiological profile of lymphatic filariasis (LF) in many health districts in Burkina Faso. From 2002 to 2016, 14 rounds of MDA have taken place in the Central East zone, with therapeutic coverage exceeding 65%. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of MDA in the fight against LF at 12 sentinel and spot-check sites. This descriptive cross-sectional study surveyed subjects aged 5 years and older between April and July 2017 at these 12 sites. The blood smear performed on nocturnal samples was used to diagnose Wuchereria bancrofti infection. The study included 4364 subjects. Their mean age was 20.55 years with a standard deviation of 14.22 and a range of 5 to 96 years. The overall prevalence of microfilaremia was 0.62% (27/4364), with rates exceeding 1% at three (3) sites. The average microfilaremia density was 106 µf/mL. The overall prevalence of morbidity was low (0.91%), predominantly lymphedema (0.60%). The MDA strategy has helped to reduce the prevalence of LF significantly in Burkina Faso, but some outbreaks still have microfilarial prevalence greater than 1%. Continuation of the additional 2-year strategy with improved adherence to treatment and vector control would help break LF transmission.