Lymphatic filariasis is one of the most prevalent of the tropical diseases, but is also the most neglected.Though significant advances have been made in the understanding both the disease and its control, there is general lack of information about its socioeconomic effects, prevalence and distribution in most endemic societies. Presently, there is global effort towards the elimination of the disease by 2020. The success of this programme depends largely on the use of simple, non-invasive procedures to identify endemic communities. Limb elephantiasis is one of the chronic symptoms of lymphatic filariasis that could be easily diagnosed by persons with minimum training. Therefore, the prevalence of elephantiasis could serve as a useful tool to determine the occurrence and spread of lymphatic filariasis in endemic communities.
Objective
This paper describes how limb elephantiasis was used to determine the occurrence and spread of lymphatic filariasis in Kano state, Nigeria as well as the use of the results for further epidemiological studies.