Filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, is a parasitic disease caused by microscopic, thread-like worms called filarial parasites. The disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The filarial parasites live in the human lymph system, which maintains the bodys fluid balance and fights infections. There are three types of filarial worms that cause lymphatic filariasis: Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori.
Symptoms of filariasis include asymptomatic, acute, and chronic conditions. The majority of infections are asymptomatic, showing no external signs of infection while contributing to the transmission of the parasite. These asymptomatic infections still cause damage to the lymphatic system and the kidneys and alter the bodys immune system. Acute symptoms include lymphangitis and lymphadenitis with nonspecific symptoms such as headache, fever, chills, and general malaise. Chronic symptoms include lymphedema, elephantiasis, hydrocele, chyluria, and varices. Filariasis is a leading cause of permanent disability worldwide, and affected people frequently are unable to work because of their disability, which harms their families and their communities.
Filariasis is a rare infectious tropical disorder caused by the roundworm parasites Wuchereria bancrofti or Brugia malayi. The disease is considered a neglected tropical disease and is the second-largest cause of permanent deformity and disability behind leprosy worldwide. The disease is common in tropical climates and rare in North America.
Preventive chemotherapy is the main strategy for controlling lymphatic filariasis. The strategy involves the annual distribution of two anthelmintic medications, diethylcarbamazine, and albendazole, to all people living in endemic areas for five years, or three medications, the two previous plus ivermectin, for two years. In places where the disease is endemic, the use of mosquito nets is recommended in the windows and doors of homes and on beds, the elimination of mosquito breeding sites, and the application of insecticides in open latrines.
