bancrofti infections in endemic area, especially on the Thai-Myanmar border.

(Publication: Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 1999; 30: 562-568. Financial support: Department of Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand.)

  ICT Filariasis card test as direct assess- ment tool for 
  evaluation of antige-naemia rate  in communities endemic for 
  Wuchereria bancrofti in Thailand (No. 545)

                    In order to compile data on the presence and distribution of bancroftian filariasis in sizable geographic areas where designated as implementation units (IUs) in initial assessment prior to mass treatment in the national programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis, rapid epidemiological assessment tools currently developed and tested are required. A commercially rapid simple-to-use diagnostic test, ICT Filariasis, is a direct assessment tool not only for gauging overall infection prevalence, but also for monitoring and evaluation of effectiveness of the elimination programme. The principal challenge of this effective assessment tool for use in Thailand where national action plan (2002-2006) for large-scale transmission control of Wuchereria bancrofti needs to be considered here in a logistically practical aspect. In spite of principally and theoretically well-established knowledges of ICT Filariasis card test, scientific approaches to screening sentinel populations and evaluating efficacy and effectiveness are, however, essential elements of the programme for the community-wide mass treatment.

(Publication: Mahidol J 2001(in press) Financial support: Department of Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand)

  Relationship between male hydroco-ele and infection 
  prevalences in clu-stered communities with uncertain 
  transmission of Wuchereria  bancrofti on the   
  Thailand-Myanmar border (NO. 546)

                    A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in three clustered communities, belonging to a single small village in Mae Chan Subdistrict, Umphang District, Tak Province, close to the Thailand-Myanmar border, where regular night blood survey had been discontinued since 1997 and no epidemiological study had been conducted. In order to understand prevalences of distribution of male hydrocele and infection in clinically diagnostic and epidemiologic implications in uncertain transmission of Wuchereria bancrofti, we analyzed relationship between male hydrocele and community infection prevalence in 219 (90.5% coverage) subjects aged ³³ 1 year old, including 54.8% migratory and 45.2% local Karen inhabitants. The overall rates of 3.6% microfilaraemia, 23.7% antigenaemia and 4.6% male hydrocele were observed. Hydrocele prevalence was significantly correlated (r = 0.348, p < 0.001) with antigenaemia prevalence, but not with microfilaraemia prevalence (r = 0.065, p = 0.493). Such observation of high infection prevalence in migratory inhabitants was evident than in local inhabitants and, particularly, antigenaemia prevalence in children was prominent among local inhabitants. These findings suggested that antigenaemia prevalence was rather significantly diagnostic and epidemiologic implication in the village with uncertain transmission or elsewhere large-scale filarial survey would be logistically required. Negative finding of relationship between male hydrocele and microfilaraemia prevalences would also be discussed.

(Publication: submitted to Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. Financial support: Department of Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand.)

  ASSESSING FILARIAL ENDEMICITY FOR THE INFECTION IN HUMANS :
  FROM RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE (NO. 547)

Key words: lymphatic filariasis, Wuchereria bancrofti, filarial endemicity, elimination, antigenemia, microfilaremia, hydrocele, Karen, Thailand

                    In order to facilitate initial surveillance prior to mass drug administration campaign (for elimination program) under ideal circumstances, two complementary frameworks are presented for assessing filarial endemicity for the infection in humans in areas, where the national program of the elimination of lymphatic filariasis is being progressed and demonstrated. These frameworks including circulating filarial antigen (CFA) detection and clinical examination of adults for chronic filariasis, are used to determine infection and disease prevalences that this paper reviews surveys carried out between 1998 and 1999 in Karen villages in northwestern Thailand, an area of coinfection of the nocturnally subperiodic Wuchereria bancrofti and malaria. In cross-sectional surveys, prevalences of antigenemia, microfilaremia and hydrocele show significant epidemiologic indication of infection in high risk areas, but antigenemia prevalence is likely to be a good measure of infection in those risk