Lymphatic Filariasis (LF).

February 13, 2023

Recently, Mass Drug Administration (MDA) was launched by Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare against Lymphatic Filariasis.
The country is aiming at eliminating the disease by 2027 through a door-to-door mass drug administration program. The government will focus on high-burden districts of the 10 affected states – Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh.
LF or elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease. Infection is usually acquired in childhood causing hidden damage to the lymphatic system.
Symptoms: Abnormal enlargement of body parts.
It is a parasitic disease caused by filarial worms Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori i.e. Nematodes (roundworms) of family Filariodidea.
Transmitted by: Mosquitoes including Culex, Anopheles and Aedes.
Lymphatic filariasis is a major public health problem in many tropical and subtropical countries, particularly in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific.
Lymphatic filariasis affects over 120 million people in 72 countries, with India accounting for 40 percent of the global case burden.
Global initiative: Global Programme to Elimina e Lymphatic Filariasis by the WHO.