OCCUPATIONAL CLUSTERING OF FOUR FILARIAL SPECIES INFECTIONS IN ENDEMIC UPLAND COMMUNITIES OF SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA

The study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of four filarial species in the southeastern Nigeria in relation to the occupation of the people. Overall, farming was the most common occupation followed by trading and artisan work. The civil service was the occupation with the least number of individuals. Farming apparently accorded people more occupational predisposition to exposure to W. bancrofti and O. volvulus infections than artisan work, trading and civil service. On the other hand, artisan worke rs and traders got more infected with M. perstans and L. loa. Higher cadre civil servants were relatively the least infected with filariasis, probably because they were relatively most enlightened than others about the disease epidemiology, and hence took steps to protect themselves from the vectors bites, while the lower cadre civil servants such as night watchmen were occupationally exposed to infective bites of mosquito vectors nocturnally transmitted W. bancrofti. Other possible factors and cofounders a re discussed in this paper.