Collecting baseline information for national morbidity alleviation programs: different methods to estimate lymphatic filariasis morbidity prevalence.
The lymphatic filariasis elimination program aims not only to stop transmission, but also to alleviate morbidity. Although geographically limited morbidity projects exist, few have been implemented nationally. For advocacy and planning, the program coordinators need prevalence estimates that are currently rarely available. This article compares several approaches to estimate morbidity prevalence: (1) data routinely collected during mapping or sentinel site activities; (2) data collected during drug coverage surveys; and (3) alternative surveys. Data were collected in Plateau and Nasarawa States in Nigeria and in 6 districts in Togo. In both settings, we found that questionnaires seem to underestimate the morbidity prevalence compared with existing information collected through clinical examination. We suggest that program managers use the latter for advocacy and planning, but if not available, questionnaires to estimate morbidity prevalence can be added to existing surveys. Even though such data will most likely underestimate the real burden of disease, they can be useful in resource-limited settings.
Mathieu
Els
E
Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center of Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA, USA. emm7@cdc.gov
Amann
Josef
J
Eigege
Abel
A
Richards
Frank
F
Sodahlon
Yao
Y
D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004605:Elephantiasis, Filarial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014037:Togo / Q000453:epidemiology