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. 2020 Dec 22;13(Suppl 1):S33-S38.
doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihaa048.

Progress towards elimination of lymphatic filariasis in the Americas region

Gilberto Fontes  1 , Eliana Maria Mauricio da Rocha  1 , Ronaldo Guilherme Carvalho Scholte  2 , Rubén Santiago Nicholls  2
Affiliations

Progress towards elimination of lymphatic filariasis in the Americas region

Gilberto Fontes et al. Int Health. .

Abstract

In South and Central America, lymphatic filariasis (LF) is caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, which is transmitted by Culex quinquefasciatus, the only vector species in this region. Of the seven countries considered endemic for LF in the Americas in the last decade, Costa Rica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago were removed from the World Health Organization list in 2011. The remaining countries, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Guyana and Haiti, have achieved important progress in recent years. Brazil was the first country in the Americas to stop mass drug administration (MDA) and to establish post-MDA surveillance. Dominican Republic stopped MDA in all LF-endemic foci: La Ciénaga and Southwest passed the third Transmission Assessment Survey (TAS) and the Eastern focus passed TAS-1 in 2018. Haiti passed the TAS and interrupted transmission in >80% of endemic communes, achieving effective drug coverage. Guyana implemented effective coverage in MDAs in 2017 and 2018 and in 2019 scaled up the treatment for 100% of the geographical region, introducing ivermectin in the MDA in order to achieve LF elimination by the year 2026. The Americas region is on its way to eliminating LF transmission. However, efforts should be made to improve morbidity management to prevent disability of the already affected populations.

Keywords: Wuchereria bancrofti; Americas region; elimination program; lymphatic filariasis.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Distribution of LF in countries and cities in the Americas, showing the current situation of LF elimination in each location and the status of MDA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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