LYMPHATIC
FILARIASIS – SCI & TECH
News:
India committed to
eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis by 2027: Mandaviya
What's
in the news?
●
India is committed to eradicate Lymphatic
Filariasis by 2027, surpassing the global target by three years.
Lymphatic
Filariasis:
●
It is commonly known as elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease.
●
Infection occurs when filarial parasites
are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes.
Causes:
●
It is caused by infection with parasites
classified as nematodes (roundworms) of
the family Filariodidea. There are 3 types of these thread-like filarial
worms such as
○
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.
Transmission:
●
Mosquitoes are infected with microfilariae
by ingesting blood when biting an infected host.
Symptoms:
●
It impairs the lymphatic system and can
lead to the abnormal enlargement of body parts, causing pain, severe disability
and social stigma.
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.
●
The medicines used have a limited effect
on adult parasites but effectively reduce the density of microfilariae in the
bloodstream and prevent the spread of parasites to mosquitoes.
Go
back to basics:
Global
Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF):
●
WHO established this to stop the
transmission of infection by mass drug administration (MDA) of anthelmintics
and to alleviate the suffering of people affected by the disease through
morbidity management and disability prevention (MMDP).