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Combating Filariasis

  • 13 Feb 2023
  • 2 min read

Why in News?

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched a nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign aimed at ending filariasis disease.

  • India aims to eliminate filariasis by 2027, three years ahead of the global target.
  • High-burdened areas are Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

What is Filariasis?

  • About:
    • Filariasis is a parasitic infection caused by microscopic, thread-like worms known as filariae. It is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, and it affects millions of people in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
  • Causes and Transmission:
    • Lymphatic filariasis is caused by infection with parasites classified as nematodes (roundworms) of the family Filariodidea.
    • There are 3 types of these thread-like filarial worms:
      • Wuchereria bancrofti, which is responsible for 90% of the cases,
      • Brugia malayi, which causes most of the remainder of the cases,
      • Brugia timori, which also causes the disease.
  • Symptoms:
    • Lymphatic filariasis infection involves asymptomatic, acute, and chronic conditions.
      • In chronic conditions, it leads to lymphoedema (tissue swelling) or elephantiasis (skin/tissue thickening) of limbs and hydrocele (scrotal swelling).
  • Treatment:
    • The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends three drug treatments to accelerate the global elimination of lymphatic filariasis. The treatment, known as IDA, involves a combination of ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine citrate and albendazole.
      • The plan is to administer these drugs for two consecutive years. The life of the adult worm is hardly four years, so it would die a natural death without causing any harm to the person.

Source: TH

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