Elephantiasis Afflicts 120 Million in Africa, Asia

Summary

Lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, is a debilitating disease affecting the world's vulnerable populations, particularly in 83 tropical countries. Spread by mosquitoes, it causes severe swelling and deformity. The Global Alliance, in collaboration with the UN World Health Organization and pharmaceutical companies like GlaxoSmithKline and Merck, aims to eradicate the disease by 2020 through mass drug administration. Despite challenges in populous countries, the program is progressing well, offering hope for the elimination of this once-neglected affliction.

Takeaways

• 🐛 Lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, is a parasitic disease that affects the human lymphatic system, causing severe swelling and deformity.
• 🌎 The disease is endemic in 83 tropical countries, putting approximately 1.3 billion people, or about a fifth of the global population, at risk.
• 🦟 Mosquitoes are the vectors that spread the parasitic worm responsible for elephantiasis from person to person.
• 🏥 Professor David Molyneux from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine highlights the risk faced by anyone living in the affected regions.
• 🏘️ Elephantiasis predominantly impacts the rural poor, exacerbating their poverty and social alienation.
• 🌐 The Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis leads the fight against the disease, aiming to eradicate it as a public health threat by 2020.
• 💊 The eradication program involves the mass administration of two drugs: albendazole, donated by GlaxoSmithKline, and Mectizan, donated by Merck.
• 📈 The program is on track to meet its goal, with strong evidence of success and confidence in its effectiveness in most countries.
• 🤝 GlaxoSmithKline has committed to donating its anti-parasitic drug for as long as it takes to eliminate the disease, a commitment that could span over 20 years.
• 📦 Despite progress, logistical challenges remain in populous countries like Nigeria and Indonesia, where nationwide implementation of the program is complex.
• 🏆 Professor Molyneux considers the fight against elephantiasis as one of the most critical public health programs of our time, emphasizing the urgency and importance of intervention.

Q & A

What is lymphatic filariasis commonly known as?

Lymphatic filariasis is more commonly known as elephantiasis.

What causes elephantiasis and how is it transmitted?

Elephantiasis is caused by a parasitic worm that infects the human lymphatic system and is transmitted from person to person by mosquitoes.

How many countries are endemic with elephantiasis according to the script?

The disease is endemic in 83 tropical countries.

What is the estimated number of people at risk of elephantiasis globally?

The World Health Organization estimates that about 1.3 billion people, roughly a fifth of the planet's population, are at risk.

What is the social impact of elephantiasis on affected individuals?

Elephantiasis is highly socially alienating and mainly affects the rural poor, forcing infected individuals further into poverty.

What is the goal of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis?

The Global Alliance aims to eradicate elephantiasis as a public health threat by 2020.

Which organizations and companies are collaborating to fight elephantiasis?

The Global Alliance has teamed up with the UN World Health Organization and major drug companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and Merck.

What are the two drugs used in the eradication program and who donates them?

The eradication program consists of two drugs: albendazole, donated by GlaxoSmithKline, and Mectizan, donated by Merck.

How long do people in endemic areas need to take the drugs and how often?

Those living in endemic areas take two pills a year for five years.

How do the drugs help in reducing the spread of elephantiasis?

The drugs significantly reduce the number of worm larvae in the blood, meaning fewer mosquitoes carry the infection to those they bite.

What are the challenges faced in implementing the eradication program in populous countries?

Populous countries like Nigeria and Indonesia face logistical problems in delivering and implementing the program nationwide.

What does Professor David Molyneux consider the most important public health program of our generation?

Professor Molyneux views the fight against elephantiasis as the most important public health program of our generation.