Eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis

Abstract

Among infections closely associated with poverty, lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a study in contrasts.It is both a consequence of and a contributor to poverty. Although rarely fatal, it is recognized as a leading global cause of lifelong disability as well as significant personal, social, and economic burdens coincident with disease. Infection is often considerably more prevalent in communities than the number of cases of overt pathology for which LF is best known (lymphedema, elephantiasis, and hydrocele). With an estimated 120 million to 130 million affected persons in 83 countries and 1.25 billion persons living in areas at risk, in some countries LF may be expanding its range, whereas in others, with economic development, it has disappeared with little if any targeted intervention. The transmission cycle is relatively inefficient, yet an association with pockets of deepest poverty remains tenacious. Thanks to scientific advances in diagnostic tools, and particularly in control strategies focused on large-scale drug donation and mass drug distribution programs, scientists and policy makers now consider LF eliminable. Together with new approaches for morbidity control, a hopeful tone surrounds a disease problem that as recently as two decades ago could easily have been categorized as among the most neglected of neglected diseases. Continued progress toward global LF elimination will require solutions to potential obstacles in the most challengingthat is, the poorest-endemic settings. This chapter reviews progress toward LF elimination and some of the remaining challenges from a perspective in Haiti, the only least developed country of the Americas.

Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions regarding lymphatic filariasis: study on systematic noncompliance with mass drug administration

“…LF is considered to be one of the main neglected diseases and is predominantly distributed in areas with poor social conditions and deficient sanitary infrastructure 23 . The results from the present study indicate that, for more than 90% of the population studied, water was supplied and solid waste was collected by public services.…”

A Cohort Study of Lymphatic Filariasis on Socio Economic Conditions in Andhra Pradesh, India

“…The chronic manifestations of filariasis can have significant, and often very negative, social impact [10]. LF has traditionally been considered to be a disease associated with poverty, inadequate sanitation and underdevelopment [9], [11], [12], [13], [14]. Sociodemographic factors such as ethnic group, parent's education and occupation, use of protective measures, and living standard of the family are suggested to be important risk factors for epidemics of vector borne disease [15].…”

Patent Filarial Infection Modulates Malaria-Specific Type 1 Cytokine Responses in an IL-10-Dependent Manner in a Filaria/Malaria-Coinfected Population

“…In 2006 alone, malaria claimed ~1.1 million lives in Africa, 85% occurring in children below the age of 5 years (1). Among the approximately 129 million people worldwide infected by one of the three causative agents of lymphatic filariasis ( Wuchereria bancrofti [Wb] , Brugia malayi [Bm], and Brugia timori ), 33% live in parts of Africa (2) where malaria is highly endemic. Coinfection with malarial and filarial parasites is common (3–6), with documented prevalences of concomitant malaria and Wb ranging from 0.3% to 0.4% in India (3, 4) to 3.3% in parts of South America (5) and 4.3% in Kenya (6).…”