Lymphatic Filariasis

Lymphatic Filariasis Latest News

The West Bengal Health Department recently started a Mass Drug Administration (MDA) drive against filariasis (commonly known as elephantiasis) and aims to eliminate the disease in the State by 2030. 

About Lymphatic Filariasis

• Lymphatic filariasis (LF), commonly known as elephantiasis, is a parasitic infection and a neglected tropical disease. 
• It can cause severe swelling in the legs and other parts of the body.  

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Lymphatic Filariasis Cause

• It is caused by infection with parasites classified as nematodes (roundworms) of the family Filariodidea. T
• There are 3 types of these thread-like filarial worms:
  • Wuchereria bancrofti, which is responsible for 90% of the cases.
  • Brugia malayi, which causes most of the remainder of the cases.
  • Brugia timori, which also causes the disease.

Lymphatic Filariasis Transmission

• It is a vector-borne disease transmitted by the female Culex mosquito.
• Adult worms nest in the lymphatic vessels and disrupt the normal function of the lymphatic system, where they produce millions of microfilariae (immature larvae) that circulate in the blood.
• In general, a person won’t get filariasis from a single mosquito bite.
• It usually takes repeated mosquito bites over several months (or even years) for a person to get the condition. 

Lymphatic Filariasis Symptoms

The majority of infections are asymptomatic, but in chronic conditions it leads to lymphoedema (tissue swelling) or elephantiasis (skin/tissue thickening) of limbs and hydrocele (scrotal swelling). 

Lymphatic Filariasis Treatment

• Elimination of lymphatic filariasis is possible by stopping the spread of the infection through preventive chemotherapy.
• The WHO-recommended preventive chemotherapy strategy for lymphatic filariasis elimination is mass drug administration (MDA).
• MDA involves administering an annual dose of medicines to the entire at-risk population.

News: TH