How is lymphatic filariasis spread? The disease spreads from person to person by mosquito bites. When a mosquito bites a person who has lymphatic filariasis, microscopic worms circulating in the person’s blood enter and infect the mosquito.

What transmits lymphatic filariasis?

How is lymphatic filariasis spread? The disease spreads from person to person by mosquito bites. When a mosquito bites a person who has lymphatic filariasis, microscopic worms circulating in the person’s blood enter and infect the mosquito.

Is lymphatic filariasis and elephantiasis same?

Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease. Infection occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes. Infection is usually acquired in childhood causing hidden damage to the lymphatic system.

Is Lymphatic Filariasis curable?

Is there a cure for lymphatic filariasis? There’s no vaccine or cure for filariasis. Medication can kill many of the worms and keep you from spreading the infection to someone else. Treatment can also reduce filariasis symptoms.

Which parasite can cause elephantiasis?

Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a painful and profoundly disfiguring disease. It is caused by infection with parasites classified as nematodes (roundworms) of the family Filariodidea that are transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitos.

Where is lymphatic filariasis endemic?

Only four countries in the Region are endemic for lymphatic filariasis: Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and Haiti.

How is lymphatic filariasis diagnosed?

The standard method for diagnosing active infection is the identification of microfilariae in a blood smear by microscopic examination. The microfilariae that cause lymphatic filariasis circulate in the blood at night (called nocturnal periodicity).

Is lymphatic filariasis fatal?

Although often debilitating, filariasis is rarely fatal. However, secondary bacterial infection of the skin is often characteristic of elephantiasis and may result in death if not treated.

Is lymphatic filariasis a zoonotic disease?

Human infections with filariae of animals, referred to as zoonotic filariasis, occur worldwide.

How can I get rid of filaria?

The main goal of treatment of an infected person is to kill the adult worm. Diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC), which is both microfilaricidal and active against the adult worm, is the drug of choice for lymphatic filariasis.

Is filariasis caused due to worm?

Parasites – Lymphatic Filariasis Lymphatic filariasis, considered globally as a neglected tropical disease (NTD), is a parasitic disease caused by microscopic, thread-like worms. The adult worms only live in the human lymph system.

Who is at risk of lymphatic filariasis?

People living for a long time in tropical or sub-tropical areas where the disease is common are at the greatest risk for infection. Short-term tourists have a very low risk. Programs to eliminate lymphatic filariasis are under way in more than 66 countries.