Archives of Inflammation

Abstract

Onchocerciasis, cause by Onchocerca volvulus is a typical filarial nematode that is known to be primarily a parasite of humans. This study was carried out to determine the incidence of O. volvulus and knowledge of its vector in Ido-ani and Akure the capital of Ondo State, Nigeria. Skin snips were collected from individuals in Idoani and microscopically examined for presence of microfilariae while structured questionnaires were administered on respondents in Akure. The result showed that 75% of the skin snips collected from Ido-ani had O. volvulus microfilariae, while 76% of the respondents consented to being aware of onchocerciasis, more than half (56%) of whom are aged 21-30 years. Forty eight percent (48%) were able to identify black flies while only 42% were aware that black fly cause a disease known as river blindness, and 21% respondent neither had knowledge of the disease nor its vector. Findings of this study underscores the urgent need for the intensification of awareness campaigns in order to educate the population about Onchocerciasis and ways of preventing the infection.