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About Lymphatic Filariasis

Lymphatic filariasis is a parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes that causes painful swelling of body parts which causes physical disability. People with lymphatic filariasis suffer from high rates of depression¹ and are at greater risk of poverty.

Overview

Lymphatic filariasis damages the lymphatic system, the network of organs and vessels which regulate fluids throughout the body. People with lymphatic filariasis can suffer from irreversible swelling of the legs or breasts and treatable swelling of the scrotum, making walking very difficult. People with lymphatic filariasis may become unable to attend school, work, and provide for their families, leading to poverty and limiting economic development. Furthermore, it can cause people with lymphatic filariasis to feel isolated from society, contributing to their psychological suffering.

The cycle of infection can be broken through consistent annual mass drug administration. People with disabilities caused by the parasite can be helped with surgery and physical management of their symptoms. Eliminating lymphatic filariasis can alleviate suffering and help individuals and their communities to thrive. It also contributes to economic prosperity – efforts to control lymphatic filariasis in Niger resulted in estimated benefits of $517 million.²

Key Facts

794 million

people require treatment³

44 Countries

require mass drug administration⁴

11 countries

have eliminated lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem

Kaimu Mussa sigiri’s story

My children will be so happy after the surgery… I will be able to take care of them more than I can right now.” Kaimu Mussa Sigiri, hydrocele patient

In Tanzania, surgeons are providing life-altering surgeries for men with hydrocele, a severe swelling of the scrotum caused by lymphatic filariasis.

Eunice ATIENO: living with lymphatic filariasis

Eunice Atieno is a 48-year-old single mother who lives with lymphatic filariasis in Mombasa, Kenya. Several years ago, her leg began to swell. She went to hospital after hospital searching for a diagnosis, but doctors couldn’t determine the cause. She was incorrectly diagnosed with cancer and even received chemotherapy, but her leg continued to swell. She also felt growths in her breast, adding to her fear that she might have cancer.

One day, community health workers visited Eunice’s neighborhood to administer drugs to treat lymphatic filariasis. They examined her swollen leg and diagnosed it as lymphedema, which is a common symptom of advanced lymphatic filariasis. The health workers went door-to-door, talking to members of Eunice’s community about the symptoms of the disease, how it spreads, and providing treatment.

Her oldest son, Byron, was skeptical, considering witchcraft as a potential culprit – even denying preventive treatment for himself.

A portrait of Eunice in her home in Jonvu, Mombasa. She often thinks back to her life before lymphatic filariasis and how active she was, particularly in business.

But at last, Eunice had an answer – but the disease seriously disrupted her life and livelihood. Once a thriving businesswoman who traveled across the country to buy and sell fish, Eunice now brews alcohol without a license to support her family. When she must leave her house, she wears pants to cover her leg to avoid the stares.

People with physical disabilities caused by lymphatic filariasis are often discriminated against and excluded from society due to fear of the disease and beliefs about how it is spread. This can cause depression and anxiety, and the loss of economic, educational, and social opportunities. In fact, women with lymphatic filariasis are at greater risk than men of being abandoned or divorced due to their illness and to experience poverty.

She manages her symptoms by washing her leg and elevating it every day. Community health workers visit to educate and help patients like Eunice to manage the physical and mental effects of their disease. These simple interventions can help prevent infection and worsening of lymphedema, and provide a measure of comfort to patients.

Despite her disability, Eunice can take comfort in knowing that future generations of Kenyans are within reach of a future free from the risk of lymphatic filariasis, as the country approaches elimination of the disease.

THE END FUND’S ROLE in PREVENTING DISABILITY FROM LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS

The END Fund works with partners in 15 countries to provide treatment, surgery, and disability management services for communities affected by lymphatic filariasis. We’re fast-tracking elimination of the disease in 39 countries through the Reaching the Last Mile Fund, a multi-donor initiative led by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi that aims to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and river blindness in Africa.

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