Journal of Public Health and Diseases

Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) is a neglected tropical disease (NTDs) that persists in developing countries causing disability through disfiguration with great economic repercussions. In Nigeria, LF is transmitted by female mosquitoes and caused by nematode, Wuchereria bancrofti. The vectors of LF, anopheles and culex mosquitoes, are widespread across rural and urban areas. This review focuses on the level of endemicity and control strategies employed against LF in Nigeria. Only reliable surveys are included in this review and criteria are applied to information identified through searches of published research in peer reviewed journals of electronic bibliographic and manual searches of local archives and libraries. Data are excluded if based on personal unpublished views. Two main strategies were employed for the control of LF as a public health problem in Nigeria, (i) interrupting transmission through annual large-scale treatment programmes, known as mass drug administration (MDA) of single doses of albendazole plus either diethylcarbamazine or ivermectin implementation to cover the entire population at risk which is not scaled up to all endemic areas and (ii) alleviating the suffering caused by LF through morbidity management and disability prevention. In Nigeria, the former has gain prominence than the latter. Despite lack of total therapeutic coverage of MDA, high success has been achieved leading to elimination of LF in some states in the country. Availability and resistance of vector species to insecticide govern transmission and sustainability of LF in Nigeria. In view to ensuring a successful control plan and eventual eradication of the disease, in addition to MDA, morbidity management and vector control to prevent human mosquitoes contact should be scale up.