Wuchereria bancrofti antigenaemia among school children: A case study of four communities in the Kassena-Nankana east district of the upper east region of Ghana

Lymphatic filariasis (LF), a parasitic disease caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, is of public health concern especially in the northern part of Ghana. Since 2000, several rounds of mass drug administration (MDA) against this infection have been conducted in the endemic communities. However, no studies on the prevalence of W. bancrofti antigenaemia have been conducted among pre-school and school-age children in these communities. This study therefore investigated the prevalence of W. bancrofti antigenaemia among pre-school and school-age children in the Kassena-Nankana East (KNE) district between December, 2010 and May, 2012. The study was a cross sectional analytical survey among the school children of age between 2 and 10 years old. Blood samples from two hundred (200) children each (randomly selected from Biu, Korania, Gumongo and Manyoro communities in KNE district) were screened for the presence of W. bancrofti antigen before and after MDA was conducted. W. bancrofti antigenaemia was detected among 25 (12.5%) children before MDA while 13 (6.5%) children tested positive for the antigen after MDA. The microfilaria antigen prevalence among the communities after MDA were 0% in Biuand Korania, 4.0% in Manyoro and 22% in Gumongo. This study has demonstrated that community variations exist in the prevalence of filarial antigen in KNE district. There is the need for regular surveillance that will inform treatment coverage and effectiveness.