• The second phase of the annual Nationwide Mass Drug Administration initiative for Lymphatic Filariasis was launched recently.
• It will cover 81 districts in nine endemic States. This includes Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
• India is committed to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis by 2027, three years ahead of the global target(2030) through mission mode.
  • Over 40% of global cases are found in India.

Lymphatic system is a network of vessels and specialized tissues that are essential to maintaining the overall fluid balance and health of organs and limbs and, importantly, are a major component of the body’s immune defense system.

About Lymphatic Filariasis

• It impairs the lymphatic system and can lead to the abnormal enlargement of body parts, causing pain, severe disability and social stigma.
• It is commonly known as elephantiasis.
• It is a neglected tropical disease (NTD).
• It is a vector-borne disease, caused by infection with parasites classified as nematodes (roundworms) of the family Filarioidea.
• Spread from person to person by mosquitoes.