Lymphatic Filariasis

• Lao People’s Democratic Republic has eliminated lymphatic filariasis (LF) disease according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
• It is country’s second neglected tropical disease (NTD) to be eliminated in six years, following the elimination of trachoma as a public health hazard in 2017.
• Lao PDR is now the second country after Bangladesh to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) in 2023. Nineteen countries have been able to eliminate LF.

ABOUT LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS

• LF, also known as elephantiasis, is a preventable mosquito-borne infectious disease targeted for global elimination as a public health problem.
• It occurs when one of the filarial parasites — Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi and B. timori — are transmitted to humans through mosquito bites.
• The parasites nest in the lymph vessels, damaging them. This leads to hydrocele, lymphedema, and elephantiasis.
• The most cost-effective method for treating all affected residents of LF-endemic areas and stopping future transmission is mass drug administration (MDA).
  • WHO recommends the triple therapy combination of ivermectin (I), diethylcarbamazine (D) and albendazole (A), for MDA against LF.
  • Multiple rounds of MDA, covering over 65 per cent of the population, are required.
• The Road Map for NTDs 2021-2030 had a target to eliminate LF from 23 countries by 2023.
• The elimination of NTDs by 2030 is one of the primary objectives of the United Nations-mandated global sustainable development goal of “health for all” (SDG 3).