New Delhi: The Health Ministry has restarted a nationwide campaign aimed at eliminating lymphatic filariasis, a vector-borne disease also known as elephantiasis. It is the second most common mosquito-borne parasitic disease in India after malaria.
The effort is part of a phased strategy announced last year, which aims to eliminate the disease by 2027.
This campaign, which includes a mass drug administration (MDA) strategy, is particularly important as climate change is believed to be increasing the spread of lymphatic filariasis through rising temperatures.
According to health ministry data, nearly 40% of global lymphatic filariasis cases in 2020 were in India. The ministry had then claimed that it is endemic in 257 districts across 16 states and five union territories and about 650 million people in these places are at risk of developing it.
Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha have the highest number of cases.
peppermint Takes a closer look.
What is lymphatic filariasis?
Lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis, is a neglected disease transmitted to humans by the bite of mosquitoes, causing infection by filarial parasites. Often contracted in childhood, it damages the lymphatic system, causing deformities and potentially permanent disability.
Signs and symptoms
The disease manifests in three stages: asymptomatic, acute and chronic.
Most infections do not show symptoms yet damage the lymphatic system and kidneys, and alter immune responses, contributing to the transmission of parasites.
Chronic conditions result in lymphoedema (swelling of the limbs) or elephantiasis (thickening of the skin and tissue), and hydrocele (swelling of the scrotum).
How does it spread?
The disease is the result of infection with nematode parasites (roundworms) belonging to the Filarioidea family, which is spread by the bites of infected mosquitoes. The bites of these mosquitoes spread the larvae which enter the body and migrate into the lymphatic vessels, mature into adult insects and perpetuate the cycle.
control measures
The World Health Organization (WHO) and ministries of health recommend mass drug administration (MDA) as the primary strategy for control. This involves annual drug dosing for at-risk populations, with the aim of reducing microfilariae density to prevent further spread.
Recommended drugs include albendazole, ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine citrate and their combinations.
government initiative
Last week, the ministry launched the first phase of the bi-annual nationwide MDA campaign to curb lymphatic filariasis, distributing free preventive medicines in high-burden districts in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Covering 92 districts across 11 states in two weeks, the campaign is in line with India’s goal of eliminating the disease by 2027, ahead of the global target. The Ministry seeks to promote collaboration between various departments and local governing bodies with the aim of grassroots movement.
Impact of climate change on lymphatic filariasis?
Experts link the spread of vector-borne diseases such as lymphatic filariasis to climate change, which alters temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns, affecting mosquito populations and disease transmission. Even a slight increase in temperature can expand mosquito habitat to higher altitudes, increasing the risk of transmission of lymphatic filariasis.
