Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Dec 22;13(Suppl 1):S48-S54.
doi: 10.1093/inthealth/ihaa080.

Caring for patients in the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis

Charles D Mackenzie  1 , Sunny Mante  2
Affiliations

Caring for patients in the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis

Charles D Mackenzie et al. Int Health. .

Abstract

Clinical lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a debilitating, disfiguring medical condition with severe psychosocial consequences for patients and their families. Addressing these patients' medical needs is a major component of the global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (GPELF). In the 20 y of providing a minimal package of care many thousands of surgical operations to correct LF hydrocoeles been performed and national programmes in >90% of LF endemic countries have received the training needed to care for their patients. The creation of educational materials detailing appropriate patient care, together with increased funding, have been key catalysts in increasing awareness of clinical LF in recent years. Nevertheless, the implementation of care for these patients has often faced challenges that have led to delays in fully implementing the patient care component of GPELF; these include locating these often stigmatised individuals, maintaining provision of the necessary consumables (e.g. soaps and creams) and maintaining programme support within already overstretched national LF teams. As the LF global programme moves to achieve success by 2030 it will be vital to continue to focus efforts on the care and rehabilitation of those suffering from lymphoedema and hydrocoeles, learning from the experiences of the past 20 y.

Keywords: GPELF; hydrocoele; lymphatic filariasis; lymphoedema.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A Tanzanian villager affected with bilateral lymphoedema as the result of being infected with Wuchereria bancrofti.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Shenoy RK, Suma TK, Kumaraswami V, et al.Antifilarial drugs, in the doses employed in mass drug administrations by the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis, reverse lymphatic pathology in children with Brugia malayi infection. Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 2009;103:235–47. - PubMed
    1. Addiss DG, Louis-Charles J, Roberts J, et al.Feasibility and effectiveness of basic lymphedema management in Leogane, Haiti, an area endemic for bancroftian filariasis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2010;4(4):e668. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lammie PJ, Eberhard ML, Addiss DG, et al.Translating research into reality: Elimination of lymphatic filariasis from Haiti. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2017;97(Suppl 4):71–5. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ismail MM, Jayakody RL, Weil GJ, et al.Efficacy of single dose combinations of albendazole, ivermectin and diethylcarbamazine for the treatment of bancroftian filariasis. Trans Royal Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1998;92:94–7. - PubMed
    1. Mante SD, Seim AR. West African Lymphatic Morbidity Project - Surgical Handbook (2nd Edition), Health Development International, Norway, 2007. https://hdi.no/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/lymphatic-filariasis-guide.pdf.

MeSH terms