Is there community-directed treatment of lymphatic filariasis in Africa?
Community-directed treatment of lymphatic filariasis in Africa: report of a multi-centre study in Ghana and Kenya Global Regions WHO Regional websites Africa Americas South-East Asia
What is the global prevalence of lymphatic filariasis?
Lymphatic filariasis is an important public health and socio-economic problem affecting over 120 million people worldwide. Although there have been some significant successes in the control of the disease, in most endemic countries the burden of lymphatic filariasis remains unaffected, or is even on the increase.
What is elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis)?
Lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis, is a serious threat to approximately 406 million people in the African Region. Lymphatic filariasis is caused by a thread-like parasitic worm that is transmitted by mosquitoes. The infection is usually acquired in childhood but the painful and profoundly disfiguring disease often occurs later in life.
What are lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis?
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) and onchocerciasis are parasitic nematode infections that are responsible for a major disease burden in the African continent. Disease symptoms are induced by the immune reactions of the host, with lymphoedema and hydrocoele in LF, and dermatitis and ocular inflammation in onchocerciasis.
What is the cost of filariasis?
The economic costs of the eradication III scenario are estimated at approximately 7.57 billion USD (7.12bn-7.94bn), while the elimination scenario is projected to have an economic cost of 5.21 billion USD (4.91bn-5.45bn).
How much does it cost to treat elephantiasis?
Once-yearly administration of two anti-parasitic drugs to control lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) costs just $0.06 to $2.23 per person treated, making it comparatively inexpensive, according to a major new international study of treatment costs.
Is there any treatment for lymphatic filariasis?
The main goal of treatment of an infected person is to kill the adult worm. Diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC), which is both microfilaricidal and active against the adult worm, is the drug of choice for lymphatic filariasis. The late phase of chronic disease is not affected by chemotherapy.
Which countries have eliminated lymphatic filariasis?
Since WHO launched the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis in 2000, a total of 11 countries and areas in the Western Pacific Region have been validated as having eliminated lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem: Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Niue, the Marshall Islands, Palau, the Republic of ...
How long does it take to cure elephantiasis?
Your doctor may give you one called diethylcarbamazine (DEC). You'll take it once a year. It will kill the microscopic worms in your bloodstream. Another way to treat elephantiasis is to use DEC in combination with a medicine called ivermectin.
What is the natural cure for filaria?
Natural remedies like Scarlet Leadwort and Ajwain were providing clues for developing drugs with the capacity to kill adult filarial worms, said Nisha Mathew, a scientist of the Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC), Pondicherry (Puducherry), which is an institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research, on Thursday.
Which medicine is best for filariasis?
Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) is the drug of choice in the United States. The drug kills the microfilariae and some of the adult worms. DEC has been used world-wide for more than 50 years.
Can doxycycline cure filariasis?
Ivermectin and albendazole are medicines used to treat lymphatic filariasis. They eliminate the Wb parasite from the blood but do not affect Mp. Doxycycline is used to treat many kinds of infections and has also recently been shown to reduce the number of filarial worms in several types of filarial infections.
Is lymphatic filariasis fatal?
Although often debilitating, filariasis is rarely fatal. However, secondary bacterial infection of the skin is often characteristic of elephantiasis and may result in death if not treated.
Where is lymphatic filariasis found in Africa?
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a painful and disfiguring neglected tropical disease (NTDs) that is preventable. The disease is endemic in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and is caused by the filarial nematode worm Wuchereria bancrofti.
Can filaria be cured?
There's no vaccine or cure for filariasis. Medication can kill many of the worms and keep you from spreading the infection to someone else. Treatment can also reduce filariasis symptoms.
Where is lymphatic filariasis most common?
Lymphatic filariasis affects over 120 million people in 72 countries throughout the tropics and sub-tropics of Asia, Africa, the Western Pacific, and parts of the Caribbean and South America.
What is LF in Africa?
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) and onchocerciasis are parasitic nematode infections that are responsible for a major disease burden in the African continent . Disease symptoms are induced by the immune reactions of the host, with lymphoedema and hydrocoele in LF, and dermatitis and ocular inflammation in onchocerciasis.
What is the species that causes LF?
Wuchereria bancrofti and Onchocerca volvulus, the species causing LF and onchocerciasis in Africa, live in mutual symbiosis with Wolbachia endobacteria, which cause a major part of the inflammation leading to symptoms and are antibiotic targets for treatment.