Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis in The Gambia |
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| Authors: | Maria P Rebollo Sana Malang Sambou Brent Thomas Nana-Kwadwo Biritwum Momodou C Jaye Louise Kelly-Hope Alba Gonzalez Escalada David H Molyneux Moses J Bockarie |
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| Institution: | 1 Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom, ; 2 Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Banjul, The Gambia, ; 3 Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana, ; 4 Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain, ; Washington University School of Medicine, UNITED STATES, |
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| Abstract: | BackgroundThe prevalence of Wuchereria bancrofti, which causes lymphatic filariasis (LF) in The Gambia was among the highest in Africa in the 1950s. However, surveys conducted in 1975 and 1976 revealed a dramatic decline in LF endemicity in the absence of mass drug administration (MDA). The decline in prevalence was partly attributed to a significant reduction in mosquito density through the widespread use of insecticidal nets. Based on findings elsewhere that vector control alone can interrupt LF, we asked the question in 2013 whether the rapid scale up in the use of insecticidal nets in The Gambia had interrupted LF transmission.ConclusionsWe conclude that LF transmission may have been interrupted in The Gambia through the extensive use of insecticidal nets for malaria control for decades. The growing evidence for the impact of malaria vector control activities on parasite transmission has been endorsed by WHO through a position statement in 2011 on integrated vector management to control malaria and LF. |
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