What is lymphatic filariasis?
Lymphatic filariasis is a serious disease, with millions of people globally at risk. It can cause a range of symptoms, but is often characterised by abnormal enlargement of body parts.
Lymphatic filariasis is transmitted via mosquito bite. The infection is usually first acquired during childhood.
It is one of a group of conditions known as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Once a person is infected, adult worms lodge in the body’s lymphatic vessels, affecting the lymphatic system. The worms can live for six to eight years, producing millions of larvae that circulate in the infected person’s blood.
The disease can cause abnormally enlarged body parts, which can be extremely painful and can lead to permanent physical changes. This condition, called lymphoedema, is highly stigmatised. In men, it can cause hydrocele, a form of lymphoedema that causes the scrotum to swell, leading to pain and disability.
The debilitating symptoms mean many people are unable to work, and children miss school to care for family members. The associated stigma can have a devastating impact on those affected, as well as their families and communities.
Source: World Health Organization
How is lymphatic filariasis treated?
Medication
A combined dose of two medicines is given every year to people in high-risk areas by local volunteer community-directed distributors.
Medical care
Although people suffering from advanced lymphatic filariasis cannot be cured, the symptoms can be eased through surgery and care.
Research
Research is undertaken to evaluate, inform and improve our programme strategies, helping to eliminate this disease more quickly and fairly.
What we’re doing
Sightsavers is fighting hard to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in the countries in which we work by 2030.
While river blindness is transmitted by the black fly and lymphatic filariasis by the mosquito, both diseases are caused by an infection of a filarial worm and often occur in the same places. Where they are co-endemic, Sightsavers coordinates treatments for these two diseases using Mectizan® tablets, donated by pharmaceutical company Merck Sharpe & Dohme (MSD), and albendazole tablets, donated by GlaxoSmithKline.
In countries where river blindness is not co-endemic, lymphatic filariasis is treated using diethylcarbamazine, produced by Eisai, and albendazole tablets, donated by GlaxoSmithKline.
In 2022, we provided more than 53 million treatments for LF worldwide. We also trained more than 225,000 local volunteers to distribute medication via mass drug administration to treat a range of neglected tropical diseases, including lymphatic filariasis.
Although people with advanced lymphoedema cannot be cured, the symptoms can be eased through surgery and care. Sightsavers works with WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) organisations to help households access clean water and facilities, so people can clean their limbs and care for their skin. Symptoms can also be helped by elevating limbs and by wearing footwear. Hydrocele can be cured through surgery, transforming the lives of men affected.
Caring for patients in Democratic Republic of Congo
An estimated 42 million people in DRC need treatment for lymphatic filariasis. Find out how Sightsavers is working to protect communities.
What we’re doingFind out about other diseases we treat
Neglected tropical diseasesMore about lymphatic filariasis
The world is making progress on eliminating lymphatic filariasis – yet we urgently need to finish the work
Sightsavers’ Roland Bougma shares what action needs to be taken to ensure the disease is eliminated as a public health problem globally.
Catching the urban mosquito: how our research protects communities from NTDs
To tackle disease, we need to know who is affected. In Liberia, Sightsavers has studied mosquitoes and tested children to see how urban migration affects the spread of lymphatic filariasis.
“I’m able to do things I couldn’t do before”
Salifat experienced painful swelling in her leg for a year before she was visited by a local health worker, who told her she had lymphatic filariasis and taught her to manage her symptoms.
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